


You're Not Exactly Innocent

by DESERTALPHA



Category: Teen Wolf (TV), Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Adults, Alternate Universe, Blood, Emotional, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hate Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Love, Multi, Murder, Mystery, Romance, Teenagers, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-24
Updated: 2014-03-07
Packaged: 2018-01-13 16:11:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 25,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1232875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DESERTALPHA/pseuds/DESERTALPHA
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grace Salvatore is Damon and Stefans niece, she is also a vampire and comes to Beacon Hills with Damon in search of a more normal life. Damon, driven to grief and heavy drinking due to his loss of Elena forever to Stefan has left Mystic Falls to get away from the pain of seeing Elena and Stefan together. Will they find a new life in Beacon Hills? or Will they just drag their cursed lives across the country with them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Start

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Teen Wolf or The Vampire Diaries. 
> 
> OBVIOUSLY some things HAVE to be changed (such as the whole werewolves don't change unless they kill someone and some other stuff considering the rules of both universes sometimes collide, but these changes should be self explanatory so Im not going to go into it in great detail) 
> 
> (accurate up to season 4 TVD and season 3A TW in terms of information, some events may have been changed such as Damon/Elena but it could all still happen and changes will explained along the way or will be easy to pick up)
> 
> I am very open to suggestions and if you want to see something happen just leave it in a comment.

We had been in Beacon Hills all summer, we weren't sure what intrigued us about it, but there was something and drew us here, to inland California, far far away from Mystic Falls. I was picking up the slack, and Damon had become more of a shell of a man. He was empty, he was feeling the loss of the love of his life, Katherine, or maybe it was Elena, to me they were the same, and Damon's heart was ripped out of his chest because of it. I was the one who was stuck with babysitting him, He was leaving, he had announced one day and Stefan had asked me to join him. Make sure he was okay, at least until he forgot about Elena. I talked to a real estate agent in Beacon Hills, and I moved all our stuff in slowly, over the summer. We avoided going into town, kept to ourselves and tried not to encourage people to come to our door or approach us. Damon was good at this, only leaving the house to get alcohol and blood, and always more than half drunk, mumbling obscenities and sometimes so drunk I would find him mumbling to someone not there, long dead or perhaps just an old friend. I tried to convince him to turn his feelings off, but he just mumbled about deserving to feel pain, and something else about Salvatore's and blood control without emotions, and I agreed. Maybe the best way for him to get over it was to feel it. But I was still worried for him, and this is what crossed my mind as i sat outside one beautiful day, enjoying the summer sun on my skin outside my house for once. 

"Hey stranger!" a voice from next-door said, our neighbor, a man named Chris, was walking to the small fence dividing our properties. "My daughter and I were just talking about you and your-" he glanced towards the house. 

"My uncle. Damon. My name is Grace Salvatore." I extended my hand. 

"Yeah, I think we met back when you guys first moved in, We always meant to invite you guys for dinner, but we never seemed to catch you, or its not a good time." he studied me curiously. I had been compelling them a different excuse every time they asked, "We were talking about how you've lived here for almost three months now and we don't know a thing about you. Maybe you could join us for dinner tonight. School starts soon, you should get to know some people your age." 

"Oh i don't think I will be going to school this semester-" I said immediately regretting it after I said it. 

"Nonsense, you cant be older than 17. I know with your Uncles… condition." I wondered when it had become obvious to the neighborhood that Damon was a raging alcoholic. "it doesn't seem like an option, but you have to live your life. I hope Im not overstepping my boundaries." His eyes flicked to the window and I saw Damon staring right at us from it, drinking from a large bottle of Scotch. I missed the days when he used glasses. 

"Thank you Mr. Argent. I would love to join you for dinner tonight." I figured it was about time to try and act normal. If we wanted a new life it would need to start somewhere. 

"I will let Allison know, maybe she can invite a friend. Dinner will be at six thirty. Please tell your uncle to join us too." I nodded and Mr. Argent left, I turned and went inside. 

"Im not going." Damon said when I entered, not glancing away from his spot outside the window and taking another deep swig out of the bottle.

"Good, you would probably ruin it anyways." I said plopping onto the couch and pulling out Stefan's diary from the 1800's, I had stolen it before leaving for "comic relief" as I told Damon, but really because I missed Stefan, he was family after all. And we always had a lot more in common. I resented Damon for turning me, but that was another story all together. 

"You make me sound dull. I like to think I bring the party wherever I go. I changed my mind. Im going." he plopped down next to me and started reading the line I was reading.  
"Oh lord Stefan, always whining, 100 plus years of whining and you think he would get over listening to his inner voice complain, I know i have." He finished and got up again. I rolled my eyes at him . 

"You're pathetic, and you shouldn't go, you'll just embarrass me." I got up too and shut the blinds to the window.

"I wouldn't dream of having my dear niece go to dinner unaccompanied. Especially if your planning on being friends with those Argent people. I don't like them." He took another long swig of his liquor and put it on the table. "you might want to finish that before tonight." he said burping and walking upstairs to take a shower. 

I took a swig of the bottle, he was right, I would need it


	2. Dinner

6:30 rolled around a lot sooner than I had hoped and Damon and I stood awkwardly in front of the Argent house. I turned to Damon and tried to smooth his messy hair over but it just stuck back up.  
"You're so mothery." Damon said. He moved my bow in my hair so it wasn't dropping to the side, "That bow is hideous, I don't think I ever would've guessed the day to see you in that. But I mean, you were a teenager in the 50's so itthat makes sense." I looked at my outfit, I had tried to look young but conservative but I ended up looking ten years older than I should. In a dress slightly too big and too long, and a bow almost comically large that sat sideways in my hair.  
Damon studied me again, smirking in his usual way, "I cant decide if you look 11 or 40." 

"Shut up." I said as I knocked on the door. It swung open and revealed the girl next door, with borne hair and fair skin, wearing jeans and a shirt she smiled at me warmly and I envied her social skills with every bone in my body. Why didn't I just wear normal clothes? 

"Hi Grace right? My name is Allison, and you must be Damon." She extended her hand and Damon and I both shook it. "You guys are welcome to come in, We were just getting set up for dinner. Theres some other people here too, some friends of mine from school, they're in the dining room." She motioned to a room on her left and left. 

"I almost thought she wouldn't invite us in." I whispered to Damon as we walked into the house. 

"Yeah well this isn't Mystic Falls. Lucky for us." Damon whispered back. 

There was a boy and his what looked like father in the dining room and a girl with red hair. They weren't chatting or anything, and all of them stood when we entered the room. I saw the girl eye my outfit judgmentally as The Sheriff introduced himself to us. 

"Sheriff Stilinski. Nice to meet you. This is my son, Stiles and his and Allison's friend, Lydia." They extended their hands and we shook them. 

"I am Damon Salvatore and this is my niece Grace Salvatore. We moved here in the beginning of the summer." 

They offered us a seat at the table and we took it, I sat next to the son, Stiles, and Damon sat on my other side. 

"So where did you guys move from?" Stiles asked. He was cute, fair skinned with cute moles and a cute nose. I was profoundly attracted to him, and I tried not to stare while he looked at me. Damon poured himself a glass of wine. 

"We're from Mystic Falls. You've probably never heard of-" 

"Oh I have" Stiles said cutting me off, "Actually Ive read a lot about Mystic Falls, it comes up all the time when you search 'supernatural' in google. Lots of mysterious deaths over the passed hundred years." Damon made a good show of spitting his wine back into his cup than trying to pass it off as some connoisseur thing as he swished it around in circles and muttered something about a little dry before staring at me incredulously. 

"You know, I've read the same thing about Beacon Hills. Mysterious deaths and disappearances. People ripped to pieces, cut in half." Usually these things weren't consistent with vampires and it was probably a werewolf pack or even more likely a generation of werewolves as the gene is hereditary. But there hasn't been attacks of that nature in two years, which probably means the wolf or wolves have moved on, they're quite nomadic by nature and I wasn't worried about them much anyways. For the most part, werewolves were weak compared to vampires, except for their poisonous saliva.  
"Matter of fact, I think I read something about a satanic cult doing some ritualistic sacrifices here last year…" That was something I couldn't explain, and had never heard of. 

Stiles smiled, "Thats right, maybe Mystic Falls and Beacon Hills aren't that different after all." he said mysteriously giving both Damon and I a heavy weary look. 

Dinner went by smoothly, Damon wasn't very talkative and mostly sulked in the corner where I came up with a steady string of half truths to cover up our past.  
"Well you see our grandparents were very wealthy and when they passed so did the money for their estate, which, leaves us…never…wanting. Our family lived in Mystic Falls for generations, but recently theres been some inner family quarrels." I glanced sideways at Damon for help, trailing off.

Damon was good at lying, sometimes I think he genuinely enjoys it, and he sipped his third glass of wine as he smirked and began, "Grace's father, my brother, Stefan, left her in my care two years ago. He just gave up, had a mental breakdown I think. Her mother died in a car accident a year prior and I think it was just too much for him to handle. One day they were fine and the next day Grace was on my porch in the cold with nothing but the clothes on her back. I think he killed himself." He was almost happy at the thought of it. I elbowed him. 

"But we still keep our hearts and homes open for him if he ever plans on wondering back into our lives." I said trying to sound as cliche as possible. 

"Or I will slam the door in his face." Damon said as an afterthought. 

"Uncle. Please." I was going to kill him when we got home. 

Mr Argent saved the conversation by changing the subject, "What grade will you be starting this year?" 

"I uh- Im uh…" 

"Sophomore year isn't it? Your what? 16? 17?" Damon interjected, this time to save the day instead of make things worse. 

"Thats the same grade we're in." Lydia chimed.

"Ah yeah. I might have trouble getting me transcripts… maybe Damon could homeschool with me-"

"No way! You gotta come to Beacon Hills High, it will be fun." Stiles said, looking at me again with his pretty eyes. 

"I-I don't know if-" 

"Oh yeah ofcourse you think i have time to tutor you all day?" Damon said getting a little drunk now. Everyone at the table shot him a strange look, he looked uninterested then added on as an after thought, "and you know, you need a normal high school, experiences and other reasons." he seemed gone now, clicked out of the conversation. And I took this as our cue to leave.


	3. A surprise visitor

The next day Damon had to drag me from the house so he could enroll me in school since he was now adamantly demanding my enrollment so that he didn't have to 'look at me all day'. I scolded him when we got home for saying Stefan was my father, it was an unnecessary lie, he could've easily made some fictional brother of his up, also, what would happen if Stefan were to show up here and they saw we looked virtually the same age and not too much alike. Damon and I were the ones who resembled each other, as he wasn't a doppleganger of someone who exists thousands of years ago. Damon looked much like his father, my great great great (probably even more greats) grandfather, and the Salvatore gene was strong, we both shared the dark brown hair and icy blue eyes, but my skin was more fair than his, I had my mothers porcelain skin and Damon's was more golden. Regardless, with a bit of compelling I was enrolled without a second glance and ready to start school the next day.  
When we got home we celebrated with a drink, mine in a glass and Damon's straight from the crystal bottle.  
"To your last free day." Damon said in a very uncelebratory way, raising his bottle and me my glass. 

"To your ever floundering depression and need to make everyone miserable is a better toast." I said taking down the whole glass in one drink. 

He smiled and bowed, "Hey you didn't have to leave Mystic Falls." 

"Stefan asked me to keep an eye on you, make sure you didn't kill yourself or anyone else for that matter, but for what its worth, I wasn't about to stay there and watch him and Elena make out and break up forever." The last words made him wince a bit. He still loved her, sometimes I wished he had never met her, although she had changed him to be a better person he had become forlorn and gotten nothing but emotional stress out of their non-relationship. I hated her for tearing the brothers apart, but I also couldn't deny her unflappable innocence and the need to preserve it. That all was for naught now though, we were gone, she had chosen Stefan and vampirism. 

We sat in silence for a while the only sound was the sound of us drinking and silently reflecting over the last year, then there was a knock on the door, making both of us physically jump at the sound, something rather unfamiliar considering we had never had a visitor here before.  
I went to the door cautiously and opened it to a familiar and unexpected face.  
Damon jumped up and went to the door at the sound of his voice.  
"Hey guys." it was Jeremy Gilbert.

"Jer- What are you doing here?" he asked slowly. 

"Its kind of a long story, but Elena sent me away. Theres been some stuff going on and she wanted me to get away from it. It took me a while to track you guys down but, here I am, I don't think she liked the idea of me so far away, but she also didn't want me to stay alone so-" Jeremy explained before I cut him off. 

"So she assumed we could babysit you for a while? Typical Elena, making sure her problems are everyones problems. Well," I sighed heavily and rubbed my temples, "Damon?" I looked at him and I knew he would never ever let go of Elena, and if this was what she wanted us to do, it would happen. So much for getting away huh? 

"C'mon in. School starts tomorrow, Grace will make sure you are enrolled and we will try and lead a normal life. Now that your here we need more precautions, you will need to put your name on the lease. That much at least. I will call Stefan in the morning and see if he can fill me in on whats going on. For now, Grace, Jeremy, get along. Im not your Mom, and I won't listen to you two bicker." He turned to me, "Especially since your not a teenager your 80 something years old" then he turned around and took another big gulp of his bottle before sitting on the couch without another word. 

I showed Jeremy to our guest bedroom, which would be his room now, and watched him as he unpacked a few of his items. One being a large wooden stake. He made eye contact with me as he unpacked that one. 

"Stay in here. Ask Damon if you need anything. We leave for school at 7 tomorrow so I have time to get you enrolled. Leave me alone and don't let me see that stake again." He didn't answer and I didn't wait for an answer, instead I left the room and went into my own to make a phone call. Like Damon said, Im almost 80 years old, I can do what I want. (maybe that wasn't exactly what he said)  
So I called up my other dear Uncle Stefan. 

"Hello?" he answered on the second ring, "Did Jeremy get there alright?" 

"Oh Hey Uncle, I've been fine babysitting your brother, how nice of you to send ANOTHER baby for me to watch. Do you normally push all your dirty work onto other people or do you just hate me more than the average family member?" 

He sighed heavily into the phone, "Im sorry Grace. I just really need your help right now. Please, will you just keep an eye on them for a flew months while we get things settled over here?" 

"Stef, I don't know what you want me to say, the kid showed up on my doorstep. I cant exactly just ship him back to Mystic Falls."

"Thank you Grace, I owe you." 

"Yeah." I replied and hung up. The next morning I woke up early and chose something practical to wear to school. I was always into dressing edgy but not too edgy, I wore jeans and a T-shirt and put my hair in a messy braid before going downstairs and grabbing a bag of blood from the freezer and reading the morning news on my laptop on the kitchen table. I had almost forgot Jeremy was here and jumped when he came downstairs ready for school with his backpack draped over one shoulder. He opened the fridge and the closed it again after looking in.  
"Hungry?" I asked not looking up from the front page of the Huffingtonpost.com

"Yeah, starving, I was gonna ask you guys last night but I didn't want to intrude or anything." 

"Well you won't find anything but blood in there. Lets go to school and I will get you something from the lunchroom." 

I got up and led him to the car we had parked right outside. It was Damon's old blue camaro, and I knew he would object when he woke up but it didn't matter, there was no way we were walking to our first day of school and if he didn't want me to drive his car he could buy me one.  
We drove to Beacon Hills High and it only took about five minutes to compel the office into enrolling Jeremy, leaving a good 30 minutes for us to find him some food and try and mingle. I thought of the boy I had met at dinner and hoped I would see him again today.  
"So do you know anyone here? You guys've been here all summer." Jeremy asked when I compelled the lunch lady into giving him some food and we sat at a lunch table by ourselves. 

"We went to lunch with a neighbor the day before yesterday. It was nice, a little awkward. Especially since one of them had done some research about Mystic Falls. Brought up a history of unexplained deaths." He raised his eyebrows at that. 

"Seems like someone was trying to lead on they knew something." Jeremy said after a minute. 

"I don't know, I couldn't really say either way. There's the girl now actually." I nodded to Allison Argent, she was walking with a tall pretty boy with curly brown-blonde hair, and they were headed for us. "Regardless I think you should know Ive done some research about Beacon Hills-" I stopped mid sentence as they approached, the boy she was with was looking at me strangely. 

"Hi Grace, How are you?" Allison said, "Mind if we sit down?" I shook my head and she sat down next to Jeremy, her friend sat down next to me and introduced himself as "Isaac Lahey." he didn't seem enthusiastic to meet me but instead he lowered his eyes and looked at me strangely again. 

I introduced Jeremy and Allison, "He's an old family friend from back home, his sisters going through a lot right now and asked Damon if he could keep an eye on him. So he's staying with us now." I explained of Jeremy. Allison and him hit it off instantly, her explaining that one of her favorite hobbies are archery, Jeremy explained his own experience with crossbows. Although I knew his weren't for arrows but stakes, I let them talk and took my leave. Looking for some peace and quiet, I wondered away from the table and started looking for my locker. I wondered through the hallway for a minute reading the numbers and wondering which way mine would be when I noticed the boy I had met earlier, Isaac, lurked behind me the whole way. Trying to seem unnoticed, he watched me as I struggled to open my locker when Stiles came up behind me and hit the locker with a large bang, sending the door shooting open. 

"I had that one last year." he said with a smile, leaning casually against the lockers next to mine. 

"Thanks." I said with a smile back, "I thought I would have to carry my books around all day." 

"Someone would've carried them for you. Your too pretty to carry stuff around." he added the last sentence as an afterthought and I felt nervous as I stammered a th-thank you at the unexpected compliment. I noted his eyes flick to Isaac who turned and left at Stiles' arrival nod. 

"I will show you to your next class. What number is it?" I showed him my schedule and we walked up the stairs to the second level of the school. This was much emptier as people were still just arriving on campus. We stopped in front of number 201 the class I had written first on my schedule, the teacher wasn't in yet, and the room was empty, but open. 

We walked inside and I immediately regretted it as he closed the door behind me and Isaac and another boy were standing in the room alone. "Shit." I said allowed, glancing out the window and seeing Jeremy still talking with Allison at the bench. She glanced up at me in the window.  
I spun around ready to fight, to see what the hell these kids wanted.  
"Whats going on here?" I demanded, looking at Stiles. 

"Look, we don't want any problems." He held up his hands. 

"Alright, then I will be leaving." I said walking towards the door.

Isaac sped in front of me and blocked my way. I rubbed my temples again.

"I cant let you do that." The other boy spoke now, he had dark skin and dark hair and a crooked jaw. 

"Look," I turned to him, "Im not here to start problems either. I didn't even want to come back to school. Now, Im just here to make sure Jeremy's okay. Just leave us be and we will leave you be." 

"My name is Scott, I just want to know what you and your Uncle are. We've been expecting…supernatural things…we know your not normal…and I know your not like us. I can smell it on you, it smells like…" 

I cut him off with a laugh a loud long laugh. "You don't know what I am huh? Well doesn't that make me the one with the advantage here?" I looked back at Isaac, who was still in front of me watching me closely. I moved to go out of the door and he moved in front of me. I moved to the other side and, again and he moved in front of me. I laughed again and shoved my hand into his body, making sure it grasped the intestines and he groaned painfully.  
"Well see, if you knew WHAT i was, I could see this whole threatening thing happening. BUT seeing as you have no idea what I am, and seeing as Im pretty much positive now that your wolves and that," I nodded my nodded my head to Scott, "is your Alpha. So, now, I can rip your guts out and you can lay here for a few hours and heal, Or we can all forget this happened and you can move the fuck out of my way." 

Scott nodded and I let go of Isaac and he fell onto the floor, a thick puddle of blood coming out from the hole my hand made in his stomach. I opened the door to the classroom and ran downstairs and right into Jeremy and Allison, my hand drenched in blood. I instantly shoved Jeremy behind me an advanced onto Allison, slamming her back hard against the lockers behind her and getting blood all over her chest.  
"Leave. Jeremy. Alone." I said and in the intensity of the moment lost my cool, I felt my bloodlust grow instantly at the proximity of Allisons beating veins and the blood all over my arms. I felt my veins grow dark and bulged with hunger and my vision became more clear as the blood rushed to my head and Allisons eyes lit up with fear at the sight of the whites of my eyes turning blood red.  
Jeremy hit me hard and pushed me out of her way, and she ran off before I could compel her to forget anything. 

"What the hell?" Jeremy asked shoving both of us into a nearby restroom. 

"They cornered me, some wolves, that guy she was with Isaac and a few others. They had you with her as some sort of threat or something." I explained, walking to a sink and cleaning the blood off of my arm. "I was going to compel information from her." 

"You were going to rip out her throat more like." he said eyeing me angrily, "it wouldn't have worked anyways, she can see my tattoo. She's one of the five." 

"Well Im glad I didn't rip her throat out then." I said and finished cleaning up. "Coming to school was a bad idea, but you need your education." I silently cursed Stefan for putting all of us in this situation. "Lets try and forget this happened and move on with the day before we are late for class."


	4. The Alliance

The rest of the school day was uneventful. We saw the wolves around, and their two girl friends Allison and Lydia, but they didn't make any other attempts to talk to us. Although they did shoot us some suspicious looks. It wasn't until after school did we get approached again, this time, with a lot more force and a lot more off guard.  
I waited for Jeremy outside of the school in front of Damon's Camaro, eager to get home and tell my Uncle about the days events. The fact that the wolves seemed in the dark about vampires could work well to our advantage, their saliva could easily mean the end of Damon and I but if they didn't know it, on the surface we seemed much stronger than them. Jeremy appeared next to me and I unceremoniously got in the car and he followed, not noting, as I should've, that we were being trailed by a Jeep and a black camaro on the way.  
We got home and parked in front of the house and got out, I shut the door and walked around the car to see Jeremy with a claw to his neck, an older man, mid 20s stood holding Jeremy. Stiles and the other Beta stood next to him along with the leader, Scott and he quickly said, "We won't hurt him as long as you do what we say." I rolled my eyes at my own stupidity. 

"What do you want?" I asked slowly, wondering how many I could take on before the bigger wolf had a chance at slicing Jeremy's neck. 

"Lets go inside." the elder wolf said, and I led them to the front of the house. I unlocked the door and felt the invisible barrier that let me know Damon had already handed the lease over and was probably out somewhere getting drunk waiting for us to get out of school. I cursed him under my breath as they walked in ahead of me.  
Isaac going in first and letting the others know the house was indeed empty.  
I waited on the porch, frustrated by the situation and keeping an eye on Jeremy who shouted, "Grace come inside!" I ran in and shut the door then went to the living room where they were still holding Jeremy hostage. 

"Now, Like I was saying before, you don't smell human, you smell like blood. First of all What are you?" Scott asked, when I had sit down across from Jeremy and his captors. 

I looked at the boy who had challenged me at dinner the other night, Stiles. He met my gaze, "I think he knows." I replied finally after a moment of studying his face. All three of the wolves looked to Stiles, who replied with, 

"You're a vampire." 

I smiled, letting my eyes go red and my veins pop from my face, I felt my teeth grow long and I eyed Stiles all the while, he looked away. 

"Theres someone here." the older wolf replied. 

"Damon." I said quickly glancing towards the door just as he turned his key in the lock and shouted out. 

"HEY JEREMY!" 

The older wolf put his claw closer to Jeremy's neck and said "shhh" as they snuck into the other room and showed Damon their hostage.  
I heard Damon angrily curse as he saw Jeremy.  
I followed Scott and Stiles to the front door, Damon looked at me angrily.

"I leave you alone with Jeremy for six hours, Grace. Six Hours. And this is what happens." He looked exasperated. 

"There was nothing I could do." I shot back. 

Damon looked at the older wolf, "I wouldn't kill him if I were you."

Scott rubbed his temples, "Come inside and lets try and work this out in a civilized way." 

Jeremy started to invite Damon in but the wolf stopped him quickly with a warning nail closer to his throat. "I said shhh!" he said. 

Damon rolled his eyes, "I cant come inside until he invites me in." he said in an agitated voice. Scott nodded to Jeremy and Jeremy muttered a quick, "Damon, you can come in." 

Damon and I both sat on one side of the room while the wolves and Jeremy sat on the other side. 

"So you're vampires." Scott said slowly. "Why did you come to Beacon Hills?" 

"We needed to get away from Mystic Falls, this was the only place Damon and I could agree on. We didn't come for trouble. We just needed to start over. Jeremy arrived yesterday, he's gotten into some trouble, theres people looking for him, we needed him hidden. Far away from Mystic Falls." I explained truthfully. 

"Why?" Stiles asked quickly. 

"Im a hunter, like your friend Allison. Thats why she could see my tattoos. Look its a lot to explain, but you've got to trust us. We don't want any problems. Theres a vampire out there looking for hunters like us." Jeremy explained. This part I hadn't heard before, the real reason why he was in Beacon Hills. 

"Why is it looking for hunters?" Stiles asked now. 

"To kill them, before we kill him." Jeremy asked, making eye contact with me. 

"What?" Damon said at the same time that I said, "Silas?!" 

"I was going to tell you guys today when we got home.." Jeremy said quickly. 

"Wait, Backup," the older wolf was talking now, "Who is Silas?" he dropped his claws from Jeremy's neck now.

"Silas is the oldest and first of our kind. Predating even your kind, he's a thousand years old and extremely powerful. This is bad." 

"So this guy is going to follow you here, to Beacon Hills?" Scott said, looking at all three of us.

"Probably." Jeremy said shrugging.

"You guys cant stay here." Scott input quickly. 

Damon got up, "Well, we weren't planning to now that its overrun with pubescent wolves. But you might want to warn your little huntress. She'll be even more chop suey with us gone." 

Stiles raised his eyebrows, "And why is that?" 

"Well you don't know the first thing about Vampire's do you?" Damon said, a smile playing on his lips.

"What makes you think that?" Isaac put in, eyeing us cautiously.

"Well for one, if you did, you wouldn't have taken Jeremy hostage, seeing as killing him would result in your own death. The Hunters curse is a bad one, it would've driven you to kill yourself. Secondly ripping out his throat would leave about a 20 second window before his death which would provide an easy fix for Grace or me, considering our blood would heal Jeremy before his died. Then you would have two vampires and a vampire hunter on you, which despite your, 'power in numbers', would still be extremely difficult, since we've been fighting werewolves for over 50 years and you guys haven't even seen your 25th birthday." Damon replied. They all stood there speechless for a moment. 

"So, I suggest, you guys offer your help in defeating a common foe, if he ever appears, or be on your way." I said when they didn't say anything. 

Scott looked at his friends before responding, "What can we do to help?" 

"Send your hunter here tomorrow, she needs to be briefed on some things." Jeremy said rubbing his throat where the claw was. 

Stiles still stared at me intensely, "I have some more questions for you." he said and quickly added, "-if you wouldn't mind answering them." 

I nodded, "Come with Allison tomorrow and I will do my best." 

Damon stood up, "So although it was a pleasure having you all, maybe you should be going…" He walked them out and waited until they drove away before we both took the time to think over the Silas situation. 

"But I thought Silas wanted to be dead." Damon said, going into the kitchen and grabbing two blood bags, he tossed me one and took a sip of the other. 

Jeremy relaxed a bit on the couch, "He did, but a lot has happened since you left. Katherine was turned human, and then she was murdered, ruining Silas' chances at being human and dying, and also extending his life for forever, only in an animated state. This renders the Hunters pointless, except to return him to that state, since they were invented to kill him, and since they are the last thing left he has to destroy of the woman who killed his one true love, He has vowed to end them, everyone until the end of time." 

"Well thats convenient." I said breathily. This was bad, very very bad. Silas couldn't be killed, he was adamant on killing Jeremy, again, and the only witch we knew was dead. 

"Well, theres nothing we can do about it now. At least we aren't alone over here, not that wolves would be my first choice in allies, but its better than nothing." Damon said. 

"Its horrible actually! One bite and we are dead Damon!" I put my hands up and through my hair to try and calm down. This summer was so perfect and normal, why did it have to go to shit so fast?

"Yeah good for us they don't know that." he said, still smirking. 

I rolled my eyes, "Well they don't have to do much to find that out. Look, Im going to bed, Like you said, we cant do anything about it today and we still have school tomorrow. Good night."


	5. Warning

The next school day Jeremy and I spent avoiding the wolf pack adamantly and trying to focus on school. Or at least thats what I told Jeremy to do, but he seemed just as distracted as I. This was bad, worse than I expected.  
I just hoped Silas would never find us. That we had hidden far enough away and not near big cities, not where vampires would go, maybe he would overlook Jeremy.  
Afterschool Jeremy and I headed home, where Allison and Stiles had beat us. They were sitting on the porch when we arrived and I unlocked the door to Damon in the house shouting into the receiver. I almost scolded him for letting them wait for us outside and not inviting them in when I realized he was talking to Stefan. We sat silently in the living room while he yelled in the kitchen. 

"What do you- No- You told me to get away from this we made a deal Stefan. I- You weren't supposed to send Jeremy, and now with all this, Im thinking we should just come back to Mystic Falls." 

I heard Stefan on the other side through the phone with my advanced hearing, "I-I know, and Im sorry but Im worried if you come back, he can use us as hostages. I cant, I don't want to lose Elena or Jeremy. I think its best if we keep them separated. Silas is still in town, but he's leaving soon, and we aren't sure where he's headed. If you've really got a wolf pack on your side, use it to your advantage for now, when Silas shows up, leave." 

"Whats he saying?" Jeremy asked, and Allison and Stiles watched me curiously. 

"He's on the phone with Stefan. He's mad you're here, he thinks your safer in Mystic Falls. Stefan is worried Silas will use Elena against you and he will lose you both. Silas is still in Mystic Falls, but he's leaving soon." I explained to them.

"Who is Stefan?" Allison asked, looking at both Jeremy and I.

"My other Uncle," I replied, then continued listening into Damon's conversation. It was less stressful now, more calm; there was a girl on the phone now.

"Damon? Is everything okay? Hows Jeremy?" 

I looked at Jeremy, "Elena's on the phone now, I think I need to be excused for a moment." I walked out of the room and into the kitchen, I saw Damon forlorn in the middle at Elena's voice and took the phone from him. 

"Hes fine. They're fine." Her voice changed at the sound of my own and she thanked me then hung up. We never got along much, I always thought her to be considerably selfish, even if she doesn't know it. 

When I came back into the living room I motioned for Stiles to follow me upstairs to my room and left Jeremy with Allison to do their hunter stuff. 

I told Stiles to sit wherever he wants and I sat on my bed. He sat next to me. 

"So this vampire thing, Ive read a lot about it, but its hard to separate the truth from the crap." he said as soon as we sat down. 

"Well, what do you want to know?" I asked, trying to ignore the fact that he was extremely attractive and looking at me with those eyes full of question. Its funny how vampires fall for humans so easily, its something about the instant connection you feel with someone that intensifies when your a vampire, and that connection is felt as a vibration through your whole body. Its like love at first sight really. 

"Do you drink blood?" he asked the first question I had expected. 

"Its a necessity, yes. But most vampires don't kill for blood anymore, with all the donated blood, we steal from hospitals and blood banks." I replied. 

"What about garlic? crucifixes? sunlight?" 

"Garlic is delicious actually, and crucifixes are quite beautiful, sunlight on the other hand is a downfall we can override with magic. And before you ask, vampires are very photogenic, and I wouldn't look this good if I couldn't see my reflection."  
He laughed a bit at the last part, and seemed visibly a little more comfortable here. 

"Im guessing from yesterday you cant come in a home without being invited?" he asked and I nodded. 

"I will give you a freebee, since we are going to be working together, We have the ability to alter human memories, wipe them clean, change them-whatever-with eye contact. Its called compulsion, and it won't work on other supernatural beings, like your friends. You on the other hand are vulnerable to it." 

He looked a little scared, "Well how do I stop it?" he asked slowly.

I walked across the room to my dresser and pulled out a ring I had been carrying for a long time for this purpose, it was a single simple silver band, and inside contained vervain that would keep Stiles from being compelled. "Wear this." I said and gave it to him. He eyed me wearily before putting it on.

"How do I know i can trust you?" he asked slowly examining the ring carefully in his hand.

"Well your alone in my room, in my house, with none of your wolf friends here, and I could've easily ripped your throat out 20 minutes ago and saved myself from this conversation." I smiled at him and crossed my arms as he slipped the ring on his finger. 

"Thank you. But if you guys are the only vampires here, and we're all on the same side, why do I need it?" he asked slowly. 

"Well, for one, Silas is a very old vampire, and your right, that ring won't do much to stop him if he wants to kill you. But there are others…" I glanced downstairs and thought of Damon, "…who aren't as stable as me." I finished, choosing my words carefully, knowing Damon would probably be keeping an ear out for this conversation. 

He nodded to say he understood and I sat back down next to him. "Sorry about yesterday. We didn't know what to do, we've been expecting trouble since the end of the last school year. And we took your arrival as a sign." He looked out the window and into the woods and I wondered what he was thinking about but brushed it off. 

"I understand, most people don't roll out the welcome wagon when they find out vampires move in to their town." 

He laughed again, and I couldn't help but notice how pretty his smile was. He had dimples that popped up with it, and they comforted me. There was something about him that was different than most people, he was smart, funny, innocent, and trusting. Something I wasn't used to.

"Lets go check on Jer and Allison?" I asked and he nodded following me downstairs, where Damon was now alone in the living room. 

"Uncle." I said and he raised his hand to show he was still alive, drinking and starting out the window, he had a bottle of scotch and a bag of blood in his hands and he was hungrily drinking both. I saw Jeremy and Allison in the back, a stake in both of their hands, they were fighting adamantly with them, and I lead Stiles out the back door to where they sparred. 

They stopped when we came up, and all three of them jerked their heads towards some noise I didn't hear. They looked at the same spot, a point in-between Jeremy and Allison. 

"Thank you." Jeremy said to nothing, Allison looked scared out of her mind, and Stiles too watched before asking, "Who are you?" 

"Whats going on?" I asked after Stiles.

"Bonnie showed up. They could see her." Jeremy said, looking at both of them before asking slowly, "Was that the first ghost you've seen?" Allison and Stiles nodded. 

"Wait. Ghost?" Allison asked, confused. 

"Have you guys died recently?"

Jeremy explained to them that being dead can make you see things on the other side, they probably didn't experience this phenomena because everyone they knew who is dead, was not supernatural or had moved on.  
I saw both their faces fall, and I knew they had experienced some recent losses, i felt for them, Jeremy and I both knew what it meant to lose someone who was important to you. 

"Im starving." Jeremy said finally breaking the awkward silence.

"Lets order you guys a pizza." I said and led them back inside, letting Allison and Stiles lead us in so I could fall back with Jeremy.  
"What did Bonnie say?" I asked. 

"She sent us a warning." He said, "She said: He's coming." We made eye contact and I could see he was scared. 

"Don't worry Jer, We won't let anything happen to you."


	6. Help

The next day Jeremy and I went to school and when I arrived on campus I saw a familiar face waiting for us outside of school. I told Jeremy to go on ahead of me while I walked up to where Elijah was standing, his face a stern mask. He looked disheveled and out of place from his normal put together self. His hair fell messily around his face, and there were worry lines on his forehead, I couldn't help but think of Stefan. I made eye contact with Scott as he walked passed us, and I saw him pause in the hallway inside the doors of the school, listening. 

"Grace." Elijah said and I nodded. 

"Why are you here Elijah?" I asked slowly, and he pulled his hand through his hair. 

"Katerina is dead. And I am broken." his voice was shaky and his composure was very unlike him. Always honor and a gentlemen Ive always seen Elijah as put together, but now, it was unnerving to see him so scattered, it made me sad, worried for Damons sanity and even my own. "I want to do something. Silas is coming this way. I intend to help you in his end." 

I nodded and put a hand on his shoulder, I was never a friend of Elijah's, but I was never his enemy. I was always trying to keep out of the affairs in Mystic Falls, it was too much. I was always observant, never getting involved, always in the background, and for the most part, I kept away from town. I would come back home to touch basis and make sure my Uncles were still alive and our house wasn't burned down. Twice I had come back to find out people I cared for died, Zach, my distant nephew, and the last of our bloodline had been murdered in my home, and the second time it was Lexi, murdered on the street. After that, I had spent my time in mystic falls sparingly. I had probably only ever spoken two words to Elijah. 

"We will need it. But Im not quick to trust, especially your family. You may stay in Beacon Hills and do what you can to help, but I ask that you listen to me and respect my own decisions, I don't want things happening behind my back, and I don't want any secret deals with Damon. This is my show, We aren't in Mystic Falls anymore." I replied and he nodded.

"There are some other things you should know. But I will fill you in later, for now, I think it would be good if you could find a job with the school, compel your way into being a teacher or something. I don't know, but Jeremy needs protection, and I have a feeling the first place Silas will show up is to school. I will see you later." I said to Elijah and left him out of the front of the school. 

I went through the school day normally and didn't catch Elijah again until lunchtime. I stepped out of my Econ class with the crazy coach who spends more time yelling at students than actually teaching, and walked downstairs to the quad where people conjugated for lunch. Jeremy and I took to meeting at the far side of the quad at a table that was almost always empty. I felt bad for Jeremy, by all rights he should be able to mingle and make friends, but I could see in his eyes that he had no interest in normal teenage things. Jeremy had died and come back to life and died and come back to life, had lost his parents, his aunt, his last three girlfriends, and his sisters humanity, he wasn't a kid anymore. He had lost that a long time ago. 

Today, he was sitting with Allison, and they were talking intensely, about hunter stuff. She had had some training in hunting and combined with her natural hunting abilities that come with being one of the five she was deadly, but she had no idea. Jeremy was explaining that as soon as her tattoo starts showing, she would need self control. I walked slowly as I approached them, trying to let Jeremy have a conversation with someone that was his age. 

"Hey." a voice said from behind me and I spun around, It was Stiles and Scott. Scott was speaking, "So who was that guy from this morning?" he asked falling into my slow pace. Stiles walked on the other side of me and I avoided looking at him, he made me feel young again, butterflies and all that jazz, but I didn't have time for those feelings really. 

"Elijah Mikaelson, he will be working here soon, actually, there he is now." I said as I watched Elijah approach from over by Jeremy. When he walked by him they made eye contact but didn't exchange words, after all, it was Katherine who killed Jeremy, and I don't think he's really forgotten. 

"Grace, " he said in his accented heavy voice, "I have just begun working as a school counselor. I was hoping you would join me in my office after lunch." he looked a little better now, he had combed his hair back like how it usually was, and his voice was centered, not cracked, but there was still a sadness behind it. 

"Yes sir, My friend Scott has been looking for a counselor too, perhaps we could come in for a joint session?" it made me a feel strange, the way he looked into my eyes while I spoke, he really listened to people, it was unnerving. 

"That would be fine, I will see you too after lunch." he gave us a little bow and walked away. 

"What is that guy from like the 1800's or something? That was kinda weird." Stiles said, raising his eyebrows as we walked to the table where Jeremy was. 

I laughed a bit, "No, actually most people from that century aren't as courteous as Elijah." 

"Who do you know from the 1800s?" Stiles asked.

"Well, both of my Uncles, for one." I said and Stiles looked taken aback at the fact that Damon was from the 1800s. 

We were at the table now, and I took a seat next to Jeremy, Scott sat next to Allison, and Stiles sat next to me. 

"But Elijah is a special kind of vampire. He was one of the first of our kind, he was born in the dark ages." Stiles was taking a sip of his milk when I said that and he almost spit it all over the table. 

"He's like a 1000 years old!!" he said when he had regained his composure. 

"Yeah. He pulls it off well though huh?" I said with a wink as I pulled out my phone to text Damon. 

They continued talking about the Originals, Jeremy explaining that, no they are different from Silas, and yes they can die, but good luck trying because they always seem to find their way back.   
I made a joint message for Jeremy and Damon and I. I saw Jeremy take out his phone and set in on the table, so he could silently watch Damon and my conversation. 

ME: Elijah showed up @ school 2day  
DAMON: wtf does he want?!  
ME: He wants to help us get back at Silas, guess it was his fault Katherine died.  
DAMON: Tell him to find Silas himself. Mayb he can kill him b4 he comes here. Mayb they would kill each other Id b cool with that.  
ME: I told him we will accept his help as long as he knows its my show.  
DAMON: Your show?! I want to talk to him  
ME: u don't need to. we r gonna talk more after lunch. I will keep u updated  
DAMON: OMW

 

I heard Jeremy groan at that last message and I felt his pain. Damon wasn't fun to be around anymore, he was spinning rapidly into depression, getting progressively worse. I haven't seen him shower in three days. 

"Looks like my Uncle will be joining our little chat." I told Scott, "Lets see if we cant catch Elijah a little early in his office, Do you know the way?" 

Scott nodded, "Alright, good idea."  
Jeremy stood up too, "I want to come." 

"No" Scott and I said instantly. Scott continued, "You said yourself, he's an original, more dangerous than Grace or Damon. I think you should stay here with Stiles and Allison." Jeremy listened to him and I envied his social and leadership skills, people trusted him on a whim, and listened to what he said. I didn't understand, but I respected it. 

"Thanks Scott." I said and Stiles popped up next to us as we walked, I was going to send him away, but I figured Scott would do it if he needed to. 

"Grace, " he tagged along next to me as we walked, talking with his hands all the while and not really paying attention to whats in front of him, "I was wondering if I could come over again today, and talk to you and Jeremy…" Scott and him made eye contact, and he looked at Scott with something that said, "I will tell you later".

I blushed a bit despite myself and wondered what he would want to talk about, "Uh yeah totally, you can meet me there then…" He smiled and we stopped in front of what I assumed was Elijah's office, just as the lunch bell rang. 

I went ahead and walked in, Elijah was standing with his back to us, and his hands behind his back, examining the window, but he seemed to not be looking out as much as staring blankly, he looked lost. 

"How many wolves are there in Beacon Hills?" He asked turning around as Scott and I sat down on the two chairs available. 

"Uhhmm Six, I think." Scott replied.

"Who is the Alpha?" Elijah asked, now taking a seat himself. 

"I am." Scott said, his eyes turning from the cool brown to a dark red. 

"And would you mind me asking, How a teenage boy defeated an Alpha Wolf..?" He was staring at Scott deeply, obviously still holding on to the grudge that had been going on between vampires and werewolves since his family was the one who started it. 

"I didn't." He said simply, and I was confused. Im not sure how the whole werewolf thing works anyways, I probably should've asked him the extent of their abilities since I had shared with Stiles some of my trade secrets (and Im sure Stiles recited them to Scott) . I felt suddenly stupid and in the dark about who my own allies were. 

"A True Alpha." Elijah said, a smile playing on his lips, "Interesting. And Honorable." he finished, looking at me now. "I believe we have a visitor." 

Just as he was done with the sentence Damon barged into the office, Stiles at his heels looking delirious.

"I tried to stop him from coming in- I think he tried to compel me, he looked at me all funny and his pupils were dilating and stuff-" 

"God, What are you a cop? And yeah I did try to compel you, How many of these kids are on vervain?" he asked me aggressively. 

"My dad is the sheriff, you've met him." Stiles said sarcastically. 

"Whats vervain?" Scott asked, his interest peaked, he looked from me to Elijah to Stiles, and Stiles shrugged. 

"None of them are on vervain Damon, This is why I didn't want you to come, your reckless right now." I stood up so I was face to face with him, or as much as I could be considering he was tall and I was short. 

"Reckless? Im the one who is supporting all of us, Im the one who left Mystic Falls for the 'greater good'. What have I done thats reckless? " he yelled at me. I noticed people looking in from the hallway, Elijah's door was still wide open. 

Stiles smiled and at a girl especially transfixed, "Its a family session…" he said and shut the door. 

"Your fucking drunk all the time, moping around the house looking out the windows, looking at that picture of Elena you have, You don't care about anyone but her, and theres people around you who care about you! Ive been babysitting you all fucking summer and now that ELENA wants you to keep an eye on JEREMY you come around like your not a weak broken piece of shit!" I was breathing heavily now, I could see my words hurting Damon as they came out of my mouth, but they hurt me too. My family had always abandoned me, my mother, my father (after I turned), Damon, Stefan, I was always alone, and this chance to come to Beacon Hills with Damon could've strengthened my relationship with both Damon and Stefan, but it just had made my hatred for my own family grow. Stefan at least called me even when he was with Elena, Damon could give a shit less. "I thought when we moved to Beacon Hills, you had left your heart in Mystic Falls, but really, you left everything there, your heart, your head, even your personality. You want to do this so bad, you want to protect Jeremy? and you want to take care of us? you want to act big and bad? and you want to run the show? Go the fuck ahead Damon! Be my guest. Im out of here. Have a nice life. Maybe I will run into you in another 50 years." I yelled, tears welling up in my eyes despite myself. I wiped them off my face and ran out of the office and down the hallway, shaking with anger and sadness. I was alone now, again. I pulled out my phone in a fit of rage and tried to catch my breath shakily. Blinded by emotion and fear, I walked out of the front grounds at school and tossed the keys to Damon's camaro onto the hood of his car as I walked out of the parking lot.   
I dialed Stefan.  
"Fuck this. Im leaving." I said when he picked up. 

"Grace, where are you?" 

"Im leaving Beacon Hills and Im not talking to you or Damon ever again, you know what I realized? You guys only care about Elena and what Elena wants. Well Fuck you, Fuck Damon, and most of all FUUUCK ELENA." I said loudly into the receiver. 

I heard him say a quick, "Grace, Wai-" before I threw the phone into the middle of the street and walked the opposite direction of my house. I was crying uncontrollably, sobbing. I had always been nothing, meant nothing, never a central character in anyones life, always a sidekick, or on the sidelines, the 'support'. It was frustrating. I hated it.


	7. Bear Trap

"Hey! Grace!" Someone was calling after me but I didn't look back. I just kept walking, and took a step into the woods, hoping to loose whoever it was they sent to bring me back. "Hey!!" he was still following, and I started to walk faster, almost run, trying to avoid roots and holes in the ground as I walked and wiped the constant tears off my face and out of my eyes. 

"GRACE!" He yelled again and I heard the plop of a body hit the floor and a thick screech of pain. I turned around and raced back, Stiles was on the ground, his leg caught in a bear trap, he was using blood rapidly, and his leg had almost broken in half with the force of the trap. It was a gruesome scene, I saw him look down at his leg and start to get faint. 

"Stiles-Stiles, stay with me." I grabbed his face and cupped his chin in my hand. The smell of the blood pumping from his wound drove me crazy and it was all I could do not to lap it up as it gushed out, hot and beating. "Don't look at it, stay with me." He was drenched in sweat and his breathing was shallow and strained. He nodded and shut his eyes tight then opened them again, staring right into my eyes. "I need to get it off so its gonna hurt again for a second, okay?" 

"Okay…" he managed to say in-between intakes of breath. 

I looked at the trap and found the way to disable it quickly. When I got it off I quickly pulled Stiles away from it and onto a nearby tree stump. A huge giant person sized tree stump. He looked confused and he fixated onto the rings of the stump, tracing them with his fingers as his face got more and more pale. 

I put my arm to my mouth and nicked my skin with my teeth then put it to Stiles' mouth. "Drink" I said. He hesitated, looking at me before putting my arm to his mouth and sucking. I felt the blood flow out of me and into him, i could hear my heart beat in my ears, and feel his next to me, erratic at first, getting steady as he drank. For a few seconds our hearts beat together, at the same time, in tuned with each other, And we made eye contact as it happened. It was an intimate moment, one of the most intimate moments I had ever had in my life, and i felt happy while he drank from me, like i was meant for something, apart of something. He finished and his healing started slowly. 

"Thank you." he said and I sat next to him on the huge stump. 

"You're welcome, I mean, it was my fault." I said looking back at his leg, it still had blood trickling from it as it healed, and with the loss of blood, and the yelling and emotional stress, I felt my bloodlust rise and my eyes grow red and my veins pop out of my face, and looked away from Stiles. His wound healed, and he put his hand on my face and turned it so i was looking at him. 

"You shouldn't see me like this." I said, thanking the lord that my red eyes were fading as the blood went away.  
He smiled, and leaned in slowly, cautiously, and i noted that he smelled like spearmint gum, and that he had tiny moles that were only visible this close as his lips crashed into my own. Soft and elusive the kiss was, and he didn't slip in any tongue, so when he pulled away I wanted so much more. I kissed him again, and he instantly brought his hand to my face, tracing my jawline with his fingers before putting them through my soft black hair.  
I felt hot and heavy, like I wanted nothing more but to kiss him forever until our mouths were one. But then i heard his heartbeat heavy in my ears again and I felt the uncontrollable hunger and pulled away, standing up and turning around as I got more hungry. 

"Im s-sorry." I said, "I- I think healing you took a lot more out of me than I intended. I need to go." 

"No, wait, Grace, Please. I came to talk to you. And cant you, like, feed from me?" He asked. 

"I don't know Stiles, I don't think its such a good ide-" he cut me off and stood up, shoving his arm in front of my face. 

"S-Stop, I dont wa-" 

"Just drink, Im not going to let you help me then not help you back. C'mon." Stiles said, pushing his arm closer. I couldn't resist I grabbed his arm and began to feed, just a little bit it was warm and sweet, and I pulled away quickly, feeling much better and licking the excess blood of my lips and trying not to make eye contact. He moved again so he was in front of my line of vision, "Do you feel better?" he asked, genuinely, moving a piece of my long hair out of my face and behind my ear. "Look, Stiles, I really like you and all, but I gotta go. I cant stay here anymore. Im sorry." I said looking away, towards the large stump, and that when I noticed him, Standing there smiling mischievously leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. "Hello Grace. Remember me? Or maybe you just remember my face…" It was Silas.


	8. Hunting Hunters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey this one is short! Sorry! Dramatic effect...

I wasn't prepared for how similar him and Stefan really looked, it was shocking. I couldn't help but hesitate at the surrealness of the situation. But I recovered quickly as Stiles stood, confused behind me. 

"You know," he continued, "We're related, me and you, you would be a distant niece I believe." He walked slowly in our direction, and Stiles and I backed up in step with him. 

"Silas." I heard Stiles hiss from behind me.

He smiled at the sound of his name, "It seems you have been expecting me." he said, still talking directly to me, keeping steady eye contact. 

I nodded, "You shouldn't be here." 

He sighed deeply, "Ah you see thats the whole reason I am here, because your right, by all means I should be dead. Qetsiyah made sure to rob me of that. And for that, I think I should rob her of something. Seeing as she's had the pleasure of being dead for over a thousand years," his voice even sounded like Stefans, "the things she cares about seems to be dwindling, and not only that, but she seems still intent on rendering me inanimate, which, is for me, horrible at best. So, that leaves me with one option, to kill the hunters destined to do her dirty work." 

"Did you even think this out? Because it seems a little half baked for the oldest being on earth. Your going to hunt down the five over and over again until the end of time, when they're whole purpose is to hunt you down and force you into a neutral state. You don't think at some point sometime, your going to get tired of them haunting you? or that you won't be as quick one time and then," I pulled my finger over my throat in a horizontal swipe, "…its over? God, you're daft." I rolled my eyes and he gave me an angry look I was already familiar with, Stefan's angry brooding glare on Silas' face. 

"Ive been suffering, for a thousand years, I don't enough patience left to argue with you. Where are the hunters?" he said, ignoring my rant and getting to the point. 

Stiles, Run." I said keeping my eyes on Silas all the while. 

"Im not just gonna leave you here with him." he responded. 

I said, " I turned my head to look at him, letting my fangs grow sharp and my eyes grow blood red, "RUN." he looked at me for a long lingering moment and then ran as fast as he could away, I turned back to Silas, and braced myself for a fight.


	9. Bitten

I advanced on Silas, with speed only a vampire can use, and right before I got to him, his arm shot up and was at my throat. I resisted him as he lowered me slowly onto the stump, his arm at my throat, he put his face close to mine.

"You may be faster than me, but you forget I'm not Stefan." He looked into my eyes and I cursed myself for forgetting about his mind control. "Big Mistake, " I saw his pupils dilate and then go back to normal and felt a strange sense of calmness as he delved into my head, "Your going to help me get Jeremy and the other hunters, your not going to attack me, you will do what I say whenever I say it," he took a beat and started to release his hold on me before looking me in the eyes one more time, "And your far too emotional, turn them off." I felt the unseen switch flip inside of me and all of my worries went away. He let me go and smiled, "Now, lets go hunt some hunters." Silas patted me on the back and we walked slowly out of the clearing, towards the school, the last place I had seen Jeremy and Allison. 

It didn't take too long for us to walk back to the school and on the way Silas asked me questions about the other hunter I knew of. I told him all I knew about Allison. It wasn't like I wanted to, but I mean, I didn't really want much anyways. Thats the thing about when your emotions go off, you don't care about anything or anyone. You just, are. I never had my emotions off before, it was elating, and I wanted to feed all the time. I was hungry, so, so hungry. I remembered what Damon had said about Salvatore's and having our emotions off; it was always a bad combination. Damon had never been as much as a ripper as Stefan, but he wasn't any less bloodthirsty. Bloodlust was hard to deal with, and without emotions it was heightened, It was the only thing I really cared about; hot, crimson, sweet, beating blood. I licked my lips at the thought and Silas dragged me out of my inner thoughts when he saw it. 

"Hungry?" he asked, glancing at me sideways as we stood in front of the school. 

"Starving." I said, smelling the fresh blood inside the doors and holding back from running inside. 

"Well, theres a buffet inside with your name on it." He said and began walking up the steps and into the school. 

I led him to Elijah's office, where the last time I had seen Damon and Scott were. But upon our arrival they were gone, I just hoped they hadn't taken Allison and Jeremy with them as I swung the office door open and saw Stiles and Elijah sitting down, waiting for us. Elijah stood up at Silas' arrival, and Silas rubbed his temples, obviously not intending for an original to be here. 

"Grace, what are you doing with him?" Stiles asked, standing up now too and waking over to me.

Elijah put a hand on his shoulder, "Wait. I don't think she's the same now Stiles…" he was looking at me strangely.

I took a step towards Stiles, as Silas began to speak. "Elijah, I heard about you dear Katherine, my condolences are with you." 

Elijah sneered at him, "Don't you dare talk about Katerina. It is your fault she is gone." 

Stiles was still looking at me, and he took another step forward. "Ah ah ah… listen to your friend human, Grace is very hungry," Silas looked at me now and I felt my bloodlust rise intensely, I sped up to Stiles and bit the jugular vein on his neck, sucking the sweet nectar from within him, it was all I could think about, that lovely sensual beat of the heart, slower with each gulp. Elijah pulled me from him and tossed me across the room, then approached Silas. Silas smiled and disappeared before Elijah even got close. It all happened so fast. 

Elijah cursed loudly and Stiles swayed on his feet, his hand against the hole on his neck, blood dripping down his front and making my mouth salivate. I licked the blood still on my lips off and savored the sweet taste. Elijah nicked his wrist and put it too Stiles' mouth as I brushed myself off. I tried to edge away quietly as Elijah healed Stiles, I needed to feed more, and find Jeremy, I had an overwhelming feeling to find Jeremy and Allison, it consumed me along as much as the hunger. 

But I didn't even make it three steps before Isaac appeared in front of me, Allison lingering behind him. I suddenly wondered why teachers never noticed these kids running around out of class. "Get out of my way Isaac." I warned, and his eyes glowed yellow as he growled, "Where are you going?" 

I kept my eyes on Allison as I moved to fight him, speeding fast passed him as he scratched me with his claws. We tumbled onto the floor, his teeth gnashing above me. I flipped him so he was below me, and moved my mouth onto his exposed shoulder, pressing my fangs beneath his skin. He cried out and I felt a surge of pain as his own teeth scraped against my skin, I recoiled from him, pulling up just as Allison came from behind me and I heard a sickening snap as she broke my neck, and everything went black.


	10. Fate

When I woke up I was in the backseat of a Jeep, speeding down the highway. It was the middle of the day, and the sun stung my eyes as I opened them. Stiles and Scott were in the front seat of the car, and I felt the bite on my arm surge with pain as I leaned on it to sit up. I cried out a bit and Scott looked at me. 

"I was…I was bitten." I said, feeling light headed and sick to my stomach. I was hungry too, indescribably hungry. 

"Yeah, but your going to be alright, we are meeting someone for the cure, thats where we are headed now. They're gonna meet us halfway. We-we had no idea the bite was fatal…" Scott looked sincerely apologetic and Stiles watched me cautiously in the mirror. 

"Im hungry." I said trying to avoid Stiles' eye contact. Scott reached towards his feet and unzipped a backpack, then leaned back and handed me a bloodbag. "Damon packed you some supplies, he said to drink slowly, your body won't hold the blood down if your not careful." 

I laughed, "Damon doesn't care if I die." I said, poking the Iv into the bag and sucking strongly. The first three gulps didn't even hit my stomach before they came pouring back out, hot and mixed with bile onto the floor of the Jeep. 

Stiles cringed as the congealed blood soaked into his carpet. I grabbed my stomach in anguish, it hurt, everywhere. 

"Maybe if we tie that arm off, it won't spread as fast." Stiles said, speeding down the highway at over 95 mph. We were in the desert it looked like. Stiles looked tired and worn, he had thick bags under his eyes, and Scott looked worried. He grabbed a belt from somewhere and asked to see my arm. I carefully took off my jacket, I was sweating heavily and, when i peeled back the sleeve of the infected arm a strong stench of rotting flesh filled the car. I almost passed out from the pain and shock of it. Scott grabbed me before I did and shook me hard, "Grace! Stay with us, come on." He wrapped the belt around my arm and pulled it hard so it cut off the circulation. The flesh around the wound was eating away, it was purple and black and blue and green and oozed an orange and red puss. 

I winced hard and my head spun as another beat of poison ran through my body, making me cold and nauseous. Scott grabbed my hand and I felt some of my pain cease as soon as he touched it. His veins grew dark as it traveled up his arm.

"What-What are you doing?" I asked breathily as I felt a wash of relief come over me. 

Scott shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, "Taking some of the pain away." he groaned as he felt it go through him. 

"Thank you." I responded, my eyes fluttering. "Who are we meeting?" I asked. 

"Your Uncle Stefan. He already has some of the cure, he's coming our way." Stiles responded shakily. 

"I- We- I don't think I will make it. About what happened at the school-" I started.

Stiles cut me off, "Stop, I know, it wasn't you. You were compelled." He glanced at me in the mirror and I shot him a small smile. "and We're gonna make it. We have to." 

Scott's phone rang and he handed it to me to answer, it was Damon. 

"Hello?" I said shakily into the receiver, trying to ignore the constant pounding in my head. 

"Grace? How are you feeling?" He sounded worried, to my surprise.

"Great despite the fact that Im dying." 

He laughed a bit, "I know how it feels…believe me, but we're gonna get you through this. Im sorry I couldn't come, I had to make sure everything was okay here, We still haven't seen Silas again." 

"Look Damon, if I die, I want you to know-" he cut me off

"Stop, you're not gunna die, Stefan and I wouldn't let that happen. I promise. So just tell me when you get home." 

"But Damon-" 

"No Grace."

I coughed again into the receiver and I could hear him sigh worriedly as I said, "I just want you and Stefan to know I love you, okay?" I said quickly so he couldn't cut me off. There was a long pause and his voice cracked as he said, "I love you too Grace." And we hung up. 

I lost consciousness again then, and when I woke back up, the world was spinning and swimming around me, Scott was talking to me, but I couldn't hear what he was saying, and when I looked out the window, I saw twirling darkness, faces in the rain, I couldn't see the scenery. And my stomach was grumbling, I was hungrier than I had ever been before, and the haunting heartbeats of my friends in the front seat filled my ears as I hungrily finished the bag of blood i had forfeited earlier. 

It instantly came back up in a large congealed heap at my feet, and I fought and kicked and scratched as the car pulled over and Scott pulled me out. I was covered in hot sticky sweat and I couldn't stop coughing, I felt my body get lowered onto the pavement, and my vision blurred again to reveal Stefan's face inches from my own. 

"Silas?" I asked, still unsure of where I was or even what day it was. 

He smiled at me and smoothed the hair from my face. "No Grace, here," he put something to my lips and I drank deeply. It was delicious, and I felt it start to heal me. 

"Is this a dream?" I looked from Stefan who was holding me, to Stiles to Scott. They were all beaming at me, and Stefan had tears in his eyes. 

"No, you're gonna be okay." He hugged me tightly, and when he pulled away kissed my cheek. 

I started getting my strength back enough to sit up and Stefan sat next to me, as I drank a blood bag he handed me.  
I scrunched up my nose, "It doesn't taste right." i said licking my lips. 

"Sorry, I couldn't trust myself to bring human blood all this way." Stefan said, "But we can go into town and get some." 

"Where are we?" I asked looking around. It was snowing outside. I realized Stiles and Scott were shivering. 

"Colorado. We've been driving for a day and a half." Stiles answered, and I stood up. 

"You guys need some rest, and food." I said, brushing myself off, and noticing I was covered in regurgitated blood. I swayed on my feet, and didn't notice how weak I was myself. Stefan steadied me, "You need rest." he said and we got into the car.


	11. Emotionless

We walked into a small hotel room and I made note of the fact that there were four of us and only two beds but quickly pushed it out of my head, there were more important things to think about, like my stomach, thick with hunger after the bite ordeal. Scott mumbled that he was going to hop in the shower while Stiles collapsed onto a chair in the corner of the room, Stefan and I sat across from him, on the edge of one of the beds.  
"You guys should get some rest while I go find some food." I said, looking at Stiles with his fingers pushed into his eyes and Stefan putting his hands through his hair. 

"I dont want you out on your own Grace. I know the shock from the bite triggered your emotions back on, but your healed now, and still compelled. Your body isnt fighting it because your not stuck on survival mode. But i dont know how long it will last before your compelled to join Silas again and flip the switch." Stefan said. 

"You look exactly like him by the way, its freaky." Stiles said, now observing Stefan.

"But dont get us confused, Silas has been in a state of desication for over a thousand years. He is desperate and angry." Stefan replied, "I met you guys in Colorado for a reason, a friend is here, backup, hes coming to help you guys with Silas, and hopefully help with the next step in our plan." He looked at me when he said that and i thought of asking what that was, but left it alone in current company. 

"Who is it?" I asked as there was a knock on the door. We all looked at it, and Stefan was the one to get up and walk to the door, opening it to reveal Tyler Lockwood.

"The Hybrid." I said as he led Tyler into the room. 

"Wait, a hybrid what?" Stiles asked eyeing Tyler wearily.

"Part vampire, part werewolf." Tyler said cockily. 

"How is that even possible?" Stiles asked, rubbing his temples now. 

"Its a long story," I answered, as i heard the shower turn off in the bathroom, I stood up, "Im hungry, We should go."

Tyler followed me out and i didnt hesitate to fill him in on a little vital informarion once we stepped out and walked in the cold wind towards the bulk of the small town, "i need to get to my full health again, but doing this will trigger my compulsion, when this happens, i want you to leave me and let Stefan know what has happened. Do you understand? " i asked as we passed by trees and empty streets towards the lights in the distance. 

"Look," he began, "I dont know you very well, but Stefan told me-" I cut him off

"Stefan doesnt know how hard im fighting right now not to run back to beacon hills and join Silas." It was true there was a building desire to get the beacon hills as fast as possible, and as much as I wanted to hold it back forever, I knew I couldn't. 

"This is for you and him and Stiles and Scotts' safety. Please, Tyler…" I pleaded, and I think he understood.

"Okay, but lets just get this over with." We approached a dive bar, and there was a very drunk man outside of it, leaning against the wall and struggling to smoke a cigarette. We watched elusively as he put the end of it to his mouth and try and suck in, but succeeded in just dropping the cigarette on the floor. 

"Looks like we've found your dinner." Tyler said and we approached him slowly. He looked up drunkinly and decided he didn't like us Im assuming, because he loudly started to protest our company. 

I looked him in the eyes, "Don't move, don't make any noises." I compelled him and he shut up, staring with a scared look on his face as I quickly plunged my face into his neck and fed. As I fed I felt my desire to leave grow, and my connection to the people who had saved my life fade. I thought of stopping drinking suddenly before the drunken man was dead, but his blood was thin and refreshingly spiked because of his drunkness, and my mind blurred as my emotions left me, and the person I was feeding on was no longer human, just a bag of blood and bones, and a vulnerable one at that. I decided he didn't deserve to live, and enjoyed his last fleeting heartbeat as he died in my arms. I dropped his body to the floor, and turned to Tyler with a smile.  
Another man wobbled out of the bar and before Tyler could protest, he was in my arms, shaking and yelling as I fed on him. 

"Grace, stop, you didn't even tell him to be quiet." Tyler said. The man squirmed and shouted for help, I snapped his neck before I was done feeding, to shut Tyler up. 

"It was really nice seeing you Tyler, but I will have to excuse myself." I said, wiping the blood from my face and licking my fingers. 

"Wait-" but I was faster than him, and I ran away, he followed me for a while before I lost him. He may be a hybrid, but I am an older vampire, more in tune with my abilities. 

It took me a day t get back to beacon hills, I stole a car from a gas station just outside the city and drove, compelling the driver to sit next to me calmly and let me drink from him when I pleased. When I finally reached Beacon Hills, I drained him and dumped him in a ditch on the side of the road. It was easy to live without emotions. I ditched the car a little farther down and walked towards my home to see if I could get ahold of one of the hunters. I was thinking Allison, I had already been invited into her home and it would be easier to slip passed her father than Damon. I wondered where Silas was but figured he would show himself to me once I had the hunters, or at least one. 

I reached my block and slowed my vampire speed down, I figured I would try and go around back from where I was, it was dark, the middle of the night. I got into Allisons backyard and crawled up to one of the windows, I remembered her room, was on the second floor towards the front. But it would be easier to get in this way. I noted that her family was werewolf hunters, but I had observed Isaac crawl through this window at least once this summer, and thankfully, I was quiet as I entered her home. I snuck around to her room, and slowly opened her door, she was sleeping. I sighed in relief and walked in, I put my hand over her mouth as I shook her awake, and her screams were muffled. She was strong and she tumbled around and tried get loose, but I was stronger. I bent down over her and drank, she would need to be weakened before I could take her anywhere. I drank until she wasn't thrashing anymore and her eyes fluttered in a daze as I lifted her from her bed and took her from her home. It was really so much easier than I thought it would be and I laughed as I carried her down the street. 

"You Salvatores are surprisingly good bad guys for how heroic you all pretend to be." Silas appeared in front of me, leaning against a light pole as I walked down the street. "I mean, laughing while carrying the body of someone you called a friend, now that is evil." 

"Nothings good or evil when you don't give a shit either way." I said, putting Allison at Silas' feet. 

He smiled, "I suppose so, now, go find Jeremy." he bent down and took Allison in his arms.

"You're not going to kill her?" I asked, kind of annoyed I had done that work for no reason. 

"Oh no, you had a point about killing all those generations of Hunters, all that haunting and pestering, no I figured a better way would just have you kill them for me. And why not kill two birds with one stone? I will keep an eye on Allison. You find Jeremy. And try not to take so long this time." Silas finished his speech and left me. I turned around and went back the way I had come, it was time to find Jeremy. But first, my emotions were off and I was hungry all the time now. 

I wanted to feed, and Silas hadn't compelled me to take a shorter time, he just told me to, so I figured I should enjoy my emotion free time while I didn't have teenage hunter haunting issues. I strolled down the street and looked around for someone who was still out and about, but the streets were empty in this small town. A pair of headlights were coming my way in the distance, and I recognized Stiles' jeep coming my way. I smiled mischievously and eyed a nearby tree, this would hurt, but I would heal. I ripped off a limb and plunged it into my chest, not too close to my heart. I waved the Jeep down as it approached, Perhaps I could get Jeremy and a good meal out of this exchange. 

Stiles pulled over, and looked worried. 

"Grace you left." He said, "Are you okay?" 

I shook my head, "No I need help, please, take me to my Uncle." Stiles came out of the car and rushed me into the front seat, and we drove back towards my house. It didn't take long, and soon, I was at the front door with Stiles holding me up. Tyler Lockwood opened the door, and I thought about asking what he was doing here but decided against it. I walked inside and Jeremy and Damon both ran to my aid. I locked eyes with Tyler as they took me into the other room and laid me on the couch, he gave me a suspicious look, and I tried to act as normal as possible. 

Damon pulled the branch from my chest and I inhaled deeply at the relief. He hugged me tightly then, and I hugged weakly back, he smiled at me. 

"You didn't come back with them," Damon said, "I thought you'd gone back to Silas." 

"No, well, yes, I tried to fight him," I lied, "I guess the wolf bite really did break the compulsion." 

Tyler lowered his eyes, "Wait, wait, thats not right, I saw you after you fed, you didn't look like it worked, you killed that guy-" 

"I was really really hungry Tyler," my eyes met his and I pictured the 1,000 ways I could rip his heart out if I wanted to. 

He didn't say anything in reply, but I could still see the doubt in his eyes. 

Jeremy hugged me too, "Im glad your back." he said and I smiled at him. Man, was all this lovey dove stuff annoying and repetitive. I was glad my emotions were off. 

"We should all get some rest." Tyler said finally. And they all agreed. Damon and Jeremy headed upstairs and I decided not to mention anything about Tyler sleeping in the living room, eyeing me all the while. He didn't believe my emotions were back on or that my compulsion was gone, but that didn't matter, all the mattered was that Damon and Jeremy did. And they did, or at least they wanted to believe it, for now. I waited until Tyler was set up on the couch and not watching me so intensely before telling Stiles if we could talk upstairs. He agreed and we walked up, when we got there I pulled him into my room and pushed him onto my bed, pushing my lips against his own. He kissed me back hungrily, and I felt my own hunger rising. I put my fingers intertwined with his own and pushed his body down so he was laying on his back and my legs were straddling him under me. His blood pressure was rising and I heard his heartbeat in my ears as I flicked my tongue in and out of his mouth. I pulled the vervain ring I gave him off his finger quickly, burning myself in the process. He suddenly realized what I was doing and I made eye contact. "Don't scream, don't move," I said, and bent over him sinking my fangs into his flesh and drinking. I fed for a moment then pulled back up, "Your going to do what I say, and your going to act like its no big deal." I compelled him, then drank from him again. I was drunk off emotionlessness and blood, and I healed him before I drank from him again. Feeling elated, alive, unlike I had almost my whole life. It was everything i could do not to kill him that night, But that would just complicate things, so I drank from him and healed him until the next morning, when I woke up to Damon ripping Stiles from my bed.


	12. Nemeton

Stiles struggled as he got up and looked confused. I took this opportunity to slip out of my room and go down the hallway to where Jeremy was still sleeping. 

I made a quick job of bounding his hands and putting my hand over his mouth and slow creeped across the room and to the window, before Damon bounded in after me. 

"Grace no!" He said as I swung the window open and looked back at him. The curtains curled around me, caught on the gust of wind blown in from the open window. Stiles was visible just behind Damon, in the doorway of Jeremy's room, his neck covered in small bites, he looked confused, and we made eye contact for a moment, his face was full of resentment then, and I shifted my eyes back to Damon. 

My black hair blew in front of my face as I sneered at my uncle. "Tell your friend goodbye." I said, and jumped out the window, taking Jeremy squirming and kicking to Silas.

I heard Damon curse loudly as I left. 

I didn't look back.

I walked into the woods behind our house, I didn't know where Silas was, but I didn't need to. He found me. I carried Jeremy farther than I had anticipated, and it was when I was ready for a rest that Silas appeared. I found myself in the clearing I had come to before when I first met Silas. A huge stump sat in the middle of the empty space, Its roots thick as my waist were stuck in the ground, and some were visible above the dirt. It was the first time I really looked at the thing, and this time I could tell it held some sort of magic, significance. I felt oddly drawn to the thing, and this is where I finally set Jeremy down, holding him by his bound hands. Silas appeared on the other side of the tree, Allison still in his arms, he approached it and set her body down, before looking at Jeremy and saying, "Lay down, sleep." 

Jeremy laid on the face of the stump next to Allison, and instantly shut his eyes, his breathing becoming soft and steady. 

Silas smiled at the sight of the two laying together and sighed. 

"This thing is charged with energy." I said, putting a hand on the rings on the face of the stump. 

Silas nodded, "And their deaths will make it stronger," He started to circle the stump, "A Nemeton, an unusual gift from nature, usually happens by circumstance, but some a nursed and born. First, a death in nature," he motioned to the stump, "vampire blood to give it life again, blood of a traveller for the power of movement; metaphorical movement I suppose," he laughed a bit and kicked one of the solitary roots, "the blood of a werewolf to draw power from the moon, the blood of a hunter for endurance," he motioned to Jeremy and Allison, "human sacrifices, for various reasons, but mostly to tie it to the earth, and lastly, the blood of a doppleganger. All of these, together, and you've got a very, very powerful piece of work, with a witch to wake it up, its a force to be reckoned with. One of the most powerful anomalies nature has ever allowed to happen. And we're going to help it along the way." 

"So, how many more of these sacrifice things do we need?" I asked. 

"Not many, there has already been the werewolf, the vampire, the traveller and the messiest part, the humans." He said, studying the Nemeton.

"That leaves only…" I started, and he finished my sentence. 

"…the hunter, the doppleganger and the witch to wake it. Now," I looked up at him, and he turned his compulsion on "Drain the hunters. I will find you after, good luck." And he walked away. 

I approached the two sleeping hunters and defended on Jeremy, pressing my fangs into his skin and drinking. 

"Grace, Stop," I pulled up from Jeremy's neck and looked around the clearing, it was Elijah. 

I regarded him for a moment, then continued to feed, Jeremy's heart rate steady in my ears, a pounding drum, getting slower by the moment. And Elijah pulled me from him, throwing me across across the length of the Nemeton, my body crashed against a tree and I crumpled to the floor. I saw Jermey's eyes open as Elijah shook him, his blood spilling onto the face of the Nemeton, a thick dark pool from his neck. Elijah bit his own wrist and put it to Jeremy's mouth, and Jeremy sat up as he was healed, breathing heavy and looking dazed. 

I stood up and walked towards them thirsty as hell for their blood, my mouth watering as I looked as Allison, and I grabbed her and began to feed before Damon appeared behind me, breaking my neck as her heart slowed. 

Everything went black. This seems to happen to me far too much


	13. The Break

When I came to I was tied to a chair with vervain laced ropes, in my home. Damon was sitting across from me in his usual spot in front of the window, gazing out. 

"You broke my neck." I said quietly. He took a big swig from his bottle and tore his eyes from the outside to look at me. 

"You need to go back to Mystic Falls." he said finally. He looked worse than he had this summer, he put his hands through his unwashed hair and it stuck up where he touched it. 

"What, no-" I began to protest but he shook his head. 

"You're compelled to do what Silas says, we are lucky he ordered you to DRAIN the hunters and not KILL them, we need to get you out of here before he can easily come back and compel you. You're going to start drinking vervain, I've arranged for someone to escort you back. You can fill Stefan in on everything when you get there. Im sorry Grace, but your emotions are off, your attacking people, I'm," his voice cracked, and I saw something inside him crack too, his face was screwed up, and his eyes filled with water. He took a deep breath and I saw Jeremy decent the stairs behind him quietly. "I- I mess things up Grace, you were right the other day, I know you don't care right now, but I need you to hear this. I know Im a bad guy, I'm selfish, Im ruthless, and I do act like I only care about Elena, you were right the other day. You never would be like this if it wasn't for me, and your so loving, you care…" He took in a shaky breath and his voice cracked again as he said, "I love you, and your family, and Im sorry I did this to you. You're better than this, and worst of all, you would be involved if it wasn't for me." And he broke. Its strange to see someone you've always observed as older and wiser than you crack. A grown man cry, someone like Damon, who's always strong or angry but never sad. I think he was on the verge for a while, and now, it all poured out. A giant ball of pent up emotion intensified tenfold than any human dumped on him, and I wondered if his emotions were always off, and maybe now he had flicked them on. He put his head in his hands and wept like I had never seen anyone weep before. And that was what triggered my emotions back on, that moment, watching my Uncle hit rock bottom. And I felt my eyes well up with tears too. 

"I love you too Damon." I said, letting a tear fall, and he looked up with his watery eyes, bloodshot, not from bloodlust but from crying, and he came to me and untied my ropes and wrapped his arms around me. 

"Your emotions are back on." Damon said, and I nodded. 

"Im sorry Jeremy," I said, looking at Jeremy, who was now walking into the living room with a smile. He hugged me too.

"It's okay Grace, Ive been compelled before. Its not your fault." he said, and I thanked him for understanding. It was then that the doorbell rang. 

"Is that my ride?" I asked, and Damon nodded. 

"Alright, well, I guess this is it…for now." I said with a smile. 

"We'll see you soon," Jeremy said, and he smiled back reassuringly. 

My bags were already packed by the door, and I grabbed them and opened it to reveal my ride. Stiles and Isaac. 

"Hey." I said, awkwardly thinking about the night I had compelled Stiles to let me feed on him. "Look about the other night-"  
He held up a hand, "I know, its okay, lets just uh, try not to talk about it." he glanced sideways and rubbed his neck where I knew the bite marks had been. 

"Im here to make sure it won't happen again." Isaac said, and I lowered my eyes at him, he wasn't my favorite wolf, considering the time I had spent dying on his account.

"I've given Stiles enough liquid vervain to last until Mystic Falls, Stefan can give him more when you guys get there." Damon said. 

I turned to him and gave him another hug, then turned away and walked out to Stiles' car. We got in and began the trip eastward.


	14. Back Home

It was about a two day drive from Beacon Hills to Mystic Falls. And the first day was spent mostly in silence, and we didn't really start talking until we pulled over on the side of the road and set up camp. We had a tent three sleeping bags, some firewood and a small ration of food. When we had set up camp I sat by the fire and laid down so I could see the stars and popped a straw into one of the two blood bags Damon had packed me. 

"So Damon is your Uncle, but Stefan isn't your dad." Stiles said finally when we had all gotten tired of the silence. He sat on the other side of the fire, and Isaac next to him, they both were cooking hot dogs on the end of a stick.

"No Stefan is my uncle too. My dad died. I had a brother too, but he's dead now too, he had a son, and his son had a son, they're all dead. The Salvatore line ended there." I replied and took a sip from my bag. 

"So you're related to them by last name…?" Isaac interjected. 

"Well, no. Damon and Stefan were turned in the 1860s. They had a half brother, who was still mortal, Im related to them through him, technically they're my great great great great great and probably like 20 more greats Uncles." I said, "But vampire bloodlines are more complicated than that, you have your sire too, and who your related to in a vampirical sense." 

"Is vampirical a word?" Stiles asked, taking his now burnt hotdog off the stick with his fingers and realizing it was hot, then dropping it, I shot my hand out and caught it before it hit the ground, "Thanks." he said, and our fingers grazed as I dropped it into his hand. 

"It is now." I answered with a smile. 

Isaac interrupted our moment, "So whats a sire then?" 

I turned my head and looked back up to the sky, "The person who turned you. Damon was my sire, he turned me to spite my father, I didn't even really know what hit me, I woke up one morning hungry as hell, I went downstairs and ate everything in the cupboards, but nothing filled the void in my stomach. I didn't know what I was until my father came downstairs looking for me… He was mad, there was a mess, food everywhere, on the counters, on the floor, my face was covered in food. I thought at first it was some crazy eating disorder, those were new back then, I had been reading about them. But after a moment of him yelling at me, I could hear his heartbeat from across the room. Hear the blood pumping in his veins, squishing through his fat carotid arteries… and I couldn't control myself." 

"You killed your father?" Isaac asked incredulously. 

"Yes. Not a first in our family." I took a large gulp of the blood bag. 

"So how does it happen?" Stiles asked.

"What killing your parents? Inadvertently…Don't get me wrong, I feel bad, but I found out after he would have killed me first." 

Stiles shook his head, "No i mean, how do you get turned?" 

"Well, first you have to die with vampire blood in your system, and then when you wake up, you can either drink blood and become a vampire or die." I sat up and looked at Isaac. 

"Where I come from, Werewolves are hereditary, how come all the werewolves in Beacon Hills aren't related?" 

He sighed, "Werewolves are hereditary, but you can also get turned into one if you get bitten by an Alpha." 

Stiles interjected, "There are some related werewolves in Beacon Hills, the Hales, but a lot of them were killed in a fire. Derek and his Uncle are the only ones left there now."

"Im tired," Isaac announced suddenly, standing up. 

"I guess that means Im going to turn in too." I said, and we went into the tent and went to sleep. 

When I woke up I was in the tent in-between Stiles and Isaac, but I was closer to Stiles, and his arm was draped over my body, and reveled in the comfort of his touch for a moment before getting up. He rolled over onto his back and I went outside and started up the fire from last night. I put two hotdogs on a stick and made them while I waited for the boys to wake up. I grabbed my last bloodbag and drank it quickly. I would need to find an animal to drain before we left to hold me over for the remainder of our trip so I was thankful that Isaac stepped out of the tent and pulled a shirt over his sculpted body. He watched me from the corner of his eye and I tossed him a hotdog. He caught it easily. 

"I need to hunt." I said. He nodded and I left. I stalked a deer through the woods for a while and finally ended up killing it quickly and drinking long and deep. 

When I returned to camp, Stiles and Isaac had packed the Jeep and were ready to go back on the road. This time I sat in the front seat next to Stiles. 

"What did it feel like, when you had your emotions off?" Stiles asked.

"It was, I don't know how to explain it, I mean, it felt like nothing, like, nothing mattered." I said, stumbling over my words. 

"I think I had a moment like that." Stiles said, "I mean, not fully, because you know, but I mean, there was a moment when my mom died, at the funeral my dad was speaking, and I remember being sad, and then really really sad, and then…nothing…like I didn't care that my mom was gone, or that my dad was crying, or that my life would never be the same, I just felt, empty, but like I had never known full…so it didn't matter." 

"Its like that." I said, and turned to look at him, the way the sun shone on his face made him look even better, like some haloed angel. His hair stuck up at odds and ends, and he looked tired, but not stressed. I wanted nothing more but to kiss him then, after he had shared something so personal with me, but I knew the last times I had kissed him I had spurned him for different reasons, and I couldn't bare hurting him again. That was one of the things Damon and I did have in common, protecting people from ourselves. 

The drive turned out to be not that long from where we had stopped and by nightfall we were passing the sign that read, "Welcome to Mystic Falls". I directed them into town, and instead of taking them directly to the Salvatore home, decided to make a pitstop for dinner at The Mystic Grill. We pulled up out front and Stiles opened the door for me as we went inside. 

"Grace. Welcome home." Matt Donovan called from the bad where he poured me a drink and set it on the counter. 

"Hey Matt, thanks." I sat down and motioned for Isaac and Stiles to join me. Isaac quickly took a seat next to me, and Stiles sat next to him. 

"How was California?" he asked when we had finished ordering some food. 

"Long, bumpy, all together bad." I replied, "This is Stiles and Isaac." 

"Hows Jer?" 

"Hes fine, no thanks to me." I drank my drink quickly and motioned for Matt to pour another. 

"I heard Silas compelled you. Don't beat yourself up, it wasn't like you did anything on purpose," Matt was kind, and easy to comfort, he was one of the only people I really ever talked to in Mystic Falls. 

"Yeah," I took a sip of my new drink, it was stronger than the one before it, "But I still did it." I muttered into my glass. I grabbed the vial of vervain Damon had given me and poured it into the remainder of my drink, then finished it, making a scrunched face at the burn of the vervain on the way down. 

I heard someone enter the grill behind me and frowned as a familiar face came strolling in, and I rolled my eyes and made eye contact with Matt, who raised his eyebrows at me. 

"The Last and youngest Salvatore." Klaus said in a thick accent as he walked straight over to us. 

"Klaus." I said motioning for Matt to pour me another drink. 

"You know, I believe I did you a favor recently…" He said smiling and taking a seat next to me. 

"…yes, you gave Stefan the cure. Thank you." I never thought I would be thanking Klaus for anything, but there it was, straight from the horses mouth. 

"You're Welcome Love, just remember, someday I may call on you to repay your debt." He said, getting a drink of his own and taking I sip. I nodded to Klaus, owing him something was bad, but I suppose it would be worse to be dead. 

I finished my drink and Stiles and Isaac finished eating, I told Matt to put it on the tab and we left Klaus and Matt there, and headed into the Jeep. Five minutes later we found ourselves outside of the Salvatore house, knocking on the door. 

"Damn, this place is huge." Isaac said, backing up and raising his head to get the full effect of the mansion like house. 

"My family built it before my Uncles were even born." I said following his gaze upwards. 

The door swung open before we ever knocked, "Grace." it was Elena, she hugged me tightly and I tried to sound excited to see her, "Heyyyy, Elena." I said in a voice that came out as at best unenthusiastic. Stiles made eye contact with me as we hugged and finally I pried her off of me long enough to introduce her to Stiles and Isaac. 

She looked at them suspiciously for a moment and I did everything I could not to roll my eyes. Elena is so annoying, "Isaac's the wolf." I said after a moment and she smiled and said something about not caring even though we knew she did. I walked passed her and into the house and Isaac and Stiles followed.  
"Make yourselves at home." I said then turned to the stairwell, "Uncle Stefan?" I yelled up the stairs. I could hear his pen scratching paper in his room above us. It stopped and he came downstairs with a smile, greeting Stiles and introducing himself to Isaac before giving me a hug and leading us to the living room. 

"You guys have a snack or…" I asked as we all took a seat in various spots. Elena tossed me a bloodbag and I drank deeply. 

"So, you're a wolf, and you're??" Elena looked Isaac up and down then looked at Stiles, who put his hands up and said, 

"Im a human. Normal. Boring. Human. And you?" he asked, looking Elena up and down now.

Her eyes went red, and her teeth grew long as she replied, "Vampire." she said. 

Stiles smiled awkwardly, "So Im the only human thats…comforting." 

"You'll be fine here until morning, or as long as you two want to stay." Stefan said. 

"We'll be leaving tomorrow morning." Isaac said, and Stefan told him he would show them their rooms. When everyone was settled, I went to my own room and began to unpack. I was sad to leave Damon in Beacon Hills, but I was dangerous there. I couldnt help but worry about his well being, his sanity, but I trusted Jeremy to watch out for him, he was a good kid. 

"Hey." I heard from the doorway of my room, and spun around to see Stiles standing there.


	15. Awkward

"Hey." I said back, studying the way he hung around in my doorway, leaning casually against the doorframe. 

"Mind if I come in?"

"Yeah sure." I replied and he walked in. He looked around my huge room examining the walls and the high ceilings, he passed by my bookcase, mostly leather-bound backs sticking out. He ran his fingers along the ends and then continued to examine the room, stopping at a side table with a picture of Stefan and I, He picked it up and smiled a bit. 

"Nice Flannel." he said and I walked over to where he was standing and looked down at the picture.

"It was the 90s. And we hadn't planned on a picture." I said trying to explain away my grungy look, thick eyeliner, my black hair a mess on my head, blowing in the wind, a piece was draped across my neck. Stefan was dressed not as bad, he was wearing a t-shirt that had some obscure band name on it and jeans. We were at Disneyland, the castle behind us, he had an arm wrapped around my shoulders and we both had a hand up, waving at the camera, and big cheesy smiles that could only be halfway believable in Disneyland. 

"You guys look happy." he said. 

"I think we were. I hadn't seen Stefan since I turned actually. I had met him before, when I was a kid, and I knew about him. I had travelled with Damon for as long as I could stand him which wasn't very long at all to be honest, and then went on my own for a while. In 1990 I went west, to Southern California. I ran into Stefan within the week." 

Stiles and I sat down on the bed, him still looking at the picture then looking at me, "So, you saw him by chance?" 

"Yeah. Its actually a weird story." he watched me as I spoke now, leaning back on my bed and putting a hand under his head. I pulled my feet up under me and sat with my legs criss cross across from him.

"I was in Orange County living in a crappy motel room I had compelled the manager to let me stay in. I hadn't done much since getting there, went to a few local coffee shops, nightclubs, feeding and compelling people to forget. I was getting sloppy because I had been without companionship for a long time, its strange how you can cut yourself off from the world so easily. I used to go to the beach for easy prey, waiting for the drunks to stumble with their girlfriends onto the sand and woo them under the boardwalk, unsuspecting, easy. Well this night, I went to the pier and waited under it, I saw a figure walking in the distance, slowly, alone. He eventually made it under the pier, and he wasn't there for but a few seconds before I pounced. Needless to say, I was in for a nasty surprise and I toppled us both to the floor, sand thrashing about. I bit into him and knew in a second he wasn't human, and I recoiled, he used my moment of weakness to flip me over so he was above me. I knew who he was in a second, after all, he looked exactly the same. But I had grown since then, and though I relaxed he was angry and he yelled threateningly into my face, 

'Whats you're problem?!" pounding my head into the sand as he said it. 

"Stefan?" and it was his turn to relax. 

"Who are you?" he asked me, but before I could answer he already knew, "Grace?" 

"Im surprised you remembered me." I lightly pushed him off and stood up, brushing the sand off myself. "I was just a kid when we met." 

"You look just like my brother." he said, looking at me strangely now.

"God I hope not, Im all for family and stuff but Damon is kind of a dick."

Stefan laughed at that. We hit it off pretty quickly, and it was easier to stay with him than be alone or with Damon. He took me to Disneyland the next day, I had never been, and I think that was the last day I really felt normal, like I hadn't done things I've done, that I wasn't a vampire stuck in the body of 17 year old. I felt like a normal, human girl." 

I laid down on my bed now too, so our faces were eye level. And he moved closer to me.

"Stiles, I wanted to talk about the other night more. What I did was…horrible." I looked away from him, but I could feel his eyes on me. 

He put his hand in my own and squeezed, "I know, you weren't you.." 

"No Stiles, its more complicated than that. I really like you and," I began, and he cut me off.

"I like you too." he said quickly. 

"No, I mean, I know, It's just, Im dangerous Stiles, And I cant let myself be a burden on you, I don't want you to get hurt again because of me, I think, you know, after tomorrow, we shouldn't talk." I looked at him now and he looked almost-angry.

"Grace, thats stupid." he shook his head, "No," 

"Stiles, we barely even know each other.."

He sat up now, and I followed suit, he put his fingers in his eyes for a minute then looked back up at me, "Ive been in danger since Ive known about all this supernatural stuff, thats a stupid excuse. And yeah we haven't known each other very long, but we have a connection that Ive never felt with anyone else, and you like me back, Grace. Why should we let go of that for something that may or may not happen? I spent the last ten years of my life, pining over a girl who never looked at me twice. Ive watched all my friends fall in and out of love, Ive helped my best friend do everything he can to stay with his girlfriend even though he was a danger to her, and we worked through it. Im not going to give up on you because your different from me." 

I sighed, "Stiles, No, I just cant-" 

And he crashed his lips into mine, pushing himself onto me, so that my back was on the bed and he was above me. His tongue darted in and out of my mouth and I enjoyed it so much that I almost forgot I was supposed to be ending this. I turned my head away from him, and he moved my arms so he was holding them above my head. 

"Stop," I said breathily, trying not to make eye contact with him. But he let go of my hands and cupped my face, forcing me to look into his eyes. 

"Do you want this?" he asked, looking into my eyes with his own puppy dog brown ones. 

"Its not what I want that matters-" 

"Answer the question Grace." he said in the most forceful way Ive ever heard him speak. 

"Yes." I said truthfully, "more than anything." 

And he kissed me again, tender at first and then rough. He tasted like spearmint gum, and he eventually stopped kissing my lips and started moving his mouth to my throat, placing soft kisses on the corner of my neck that touches my shoulder, then moving down to my collarbone. His lips barely touched my skin as he went down further, pulling my top down and exposing my breasts. He kissed me between them, and I felt his hand caress my legs over my pants, going farther and farther up my thigh. 

"Take them off." I breathed into him, and he stopped kissing my chest and moved up to my face, kissing me on the mouth and unbuttoning the top of my pants. He unzipped the zipper and pulled my pants off before pushing his fingers inside me. I felt myself get wet with pleasure and moaned into his mouth as he went, he pulled his mouth off of mine and took off his own pants and I saw him thick and hard and ready. 

He climbed back on top of me and kissed my lips softly, and put one of his hands through my hair. 

"I need to tell you something." he said, kissing my neck now, not looking at me. 

"Put it in…" I urged him, still caught in the moment.

"Im a virgin." he confessed. And I smiled widely, I moved him so he was under me and climbed on top of him, slipping him inside of me as I went. He moaned loudly under me and I arched my back as I was on top of him, riding him slow first and then fast again, he was harder than ever, and it made me hot. I felt my bloodlust rise with his pulse and tried to close my eyes as they went red, but his arm shot up and he exposed his wrist, I fed on him of a moment and stopped quickly. He pulled me down so my face was level with his and he licked his blood from my lips. I kissed him, and I felt his pulse rise even higher, he was covered in sweat and I knew he was close, I sped up my motion and he moaned loudly as he came. I pulled up so I he was flat and my back was straight above him, and I was so caught up in the intensity of the moment I didn't hear someone decend the stairs and pass my open door.

"What The Fuck!" Stefan cursed loudly, and Stiles and I pulled the blankets over our bodies. He was shielding his eyes, and Isaac and Elena sped up behind him, muttering "what happened?" sleepily. 

"Theres a fucking door right here!" Stefan said loudly. 

Isaac looked at Stiles and I angrily, and I knew we would hear it in the morning from him, but he was the silent until necessary part, and he disappeared as soon as he had shown. 

"Did you at least use a condom while you were fucking my niece?" Stefan went on looking at Stiles now. 

Elena rolled her eyes and grabbed Stefans arm, "For what Stefan? So she wouldn't get pregnant or so she wouldn't get an std?" she rolled her eyes at him as he opened his mouth to go on, pointing at Stiles, but Elena pulled him away from the door, "Lets go to bed Stef." and she smiled at me as she closed the door behind her.


	16. The Trap

The next morning when I woke up next to Stiles and I reveled in the comfort of waking up in the arms of someone special. He kissed me softly on the cheek and ran his hand through my hair. I turned over and smiled at him, and we looked at each other for a moment before there was a knock at the door. 

"Come in." I said, and Isaac entered, folding his hands over his chest and giving Stiles a stern look. 

"Its time to leave." he said. 

Stiles got out of bed and I followed suit, pulling my hair back into a messy bun on the top of my head and walking out of my bedroom. 

"Stefan!" I yelled up the stairs, pulling my silk robe over the big shirt I had worn to bed. There was no answer. "Elena?" 

I waited a beat. No answer. I made my way up the stairs and over to Stefan's room, the door was cracked, I opened it and saw Elena asleep on the bed by herself. 

I shook her awake, "Elena, Where's Stefan?" she opened her eyes sleepily and stretched. 

"What?" she asked groggily. 

"Where's Stefan?" I asked again.

She sat up and looked around patting the empty space where I presumed Stefan would've been. 

"I-I don't know, he was here last night." She got up out of bed now, putting her hand through her hair and digging through her purse before pulling out her cell phone and dialing Stefan. His phone went straight to voicemail. We made eye contact. 

"He normally does do this, he wouldn't leave with out telling me." she was starting to sound worried now, "His phone is off. Something doesn't feel right." she shook her head and stood up, she called someone else and asked if they had seen Stefan. They hadn't. 

"Elena. When I was in Beacon Hills with Silas… he said something about doppleganger blood. I didn't even think, didn't realize…" I stuttered, trailing off. 

"No, Silas…here? Oh god." she started shaking her head again, "Im going to go down to the Mystic Grill and see if anyone there has seen him." she said hurriedly going to the closet where her clothes were. I went back downstairs where Isaac and Stiles were sitting in the living room. 

"You cant find Stefan?" Stiles asked, standing up when we got in the room. I shook my head.

"What exactly did Silas say when you were in Beacon Hills?" Isaac asked. 

I realized I hadn't really filled anyone in on what had happened in the woods. 

"When I was under the compulsion, we went to this big tree stump in the forest in Beacon Hills," I turned to Stiles, "where you and I were when we first met Silas." 

"The Nematon; tell me why I could've guessed it was going to have something to do with that thing." Stiles said exchanging a look with Isaac before addressing me again, "Go on,"

I explained what Silas had said to me, and I felt for a moment, that they had more of an idea of what was going on there than I did. 

"We need to find them before they leave Mystic Falls." Isaac said, to my surprise.

"Weren't you just the one who wanted to leave Mystic Falls so quickly? And they might not even still be here…" I shook my head, "You guys should leave, go back to Beacon Hills, with your pack. Like I said, its not safe around us. There seems to be a bad record with this town and humans." I looked at Stiles. But it was Isaac who answered. 

"No, its our pack and our family back in Beacon Hills who will ALL suffer if the Nematon gets more power. Its already charged with energy. If Silas is right about the doppleganger blood it will just get more powerful. No, we end it here in Mystic Falls." He said forcefully. 

I put my hands through my hair, "You realize its going to be harder to find him with you guys around, you don't know the town, you don't know the kind of people are here, and you don't know the first thing about dopplegangers or witches or anything for that matter. You will only get in the way. Please," I pleaded to Stiles, "for me." 

Stiles locked eyes with me for a moment, "Im gonna side with Isaac on this one. Its better to handle it here. And Isaac can try and track him. We're staying." I rolled my eyes at them and Elena descended the stairs. I walked into my room and told her we would meet her at the grill before slamming the door. 

I heard her leave as I pulled on some jeans and a t shirt, then went into the living room, getting a coat from the rack. 

"Lets go." I said and we walked out to Stiles' car. We drove over to the Mystic Grill, where Elena was waiting for us at the bar with her blonde friend, Caroline. 

"Did anyone see him?" I asked instantly, and Elena and Caroline made eye contact. 

"Matt saw him this morning. He was acting weird, different." Caroline explained.

"We think it was Silas." Elena said.

Matt chimed in from his spot behind the counter, "Im sorry, I- I didn't…" 

"Its not your fault." I said quickly. 

"Where do you think Silas would take him?" Elena asked. 

"I don't know, he's looking for doppleganger blood, for a spell. Im not exactly sure what he wants to use the spell for, but I know he needs the blood." 

Stiles turned to me, "If he just needs the blood, he wouldn't necessarily need to take him back to Beacon Hills right?" 

Isaac finished Stiles' train of thought, "Maybe he came and got him in the morning so he could drain his blood and let him go before anyone really tried to find him." 

Caroline nodded, "That would make sense, but where would he take him? It wasnt like we were ever invited to his house when he was here." 

"You said the Nematon was charged with energy right? So what if he wanted to take Stefan to a place that was charged with energy here. Is there anywhere you can think of that would fit the description? Like a Mystic Falls magical beacon?" Stiles asked her. 

Elena took in a sharp intake of breath, "The house where the witches were burned." 

"If you have something of Stefan's I can track him." Isaac said to Elena. She nodded and handed him something of his from her purse, a pen, Isaac smelled it and nodded. 

"I'll go with you, and you guys head to the witch house. We'll see if we end up at the same place, if anyone finds him before the other group, call one of us." Caroline said, and they headed out of the grill quickly. Stiles and Elena and I went to the car, and Elena led us in the direction of the witch house. 

We were all silent for a while before I broke it. "When we get there, don't get out of the car." I said to Stiles. He glanced at me sideways from the driver's seat. 

"Im not going to have you go in there all alone." he said. 

"Stiles, you shouldn't even be here-" I replied.

"Mystic Falls is no place for humans that want to live or stay human. Believe me, Ive lost enough people to know." Elena said, staring out the window mournfully. 

"Well, I am a human, but it doesn't change the fact that I make my own decisions. And if I want to stay here and make sure everything works out, thats what I will do. So you can stop pestering me about it already Grace." He didn't look at me while he said it but concentrated on driving. I let it go, he was right, he made his own decisions. I would just have to make it my duty to make sure he didn't get hurt, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he did. 

We pulled up to the witch house and went right in, going right down to the basement. Stefan was there by himself.

"Elena! You shouldn't have come, its a trap!" he yelled.

We didn't make it in three steps before Silas appeared behind Stiles a knife to his throat. Stefan was in the middle of the room, his wrist opened into a bucket. 

"Make another step and I will slice open his throat." Silas said. 

Elena and I looked at each other before putting our hands up. 

Silas was smiling, "Im glad you showed up, see I had a feeling all I would have to do was get one of the dopplegangers and the other would find me." He was looking at Elena now. "Go join your destiny by the bucket." He said nodding to Stefan.  
Elena took a lingering look at Stiles, then walked over and joined Stefan.  
"Go ahead and put your blood in that bucket." Silas said, "You know, you guys are all so predictable, bringing a human, see right there, thats your weakness. Humans are nothing, a joke, to be played with by supernatural beings." Silas said, putting the knife closer to Stiles' neck, a small drop of blood appeared under the tip of the blade. 

"Dont-hurt him." I said taking a step forward.  
I heard someone fall behind me and glanced back to see Stefan on the floor and Elena trying to get him to wake up, with her arm over the bucket. 

"Stefan?!" she said, rubbing his face with her eyes full of tears. 

Silas smiled menacingly, "Don't kill him…Why not?" he said, and I noticed Caroline and Isaac, coming up from behind him from outside the open door. Silas followed my line of vision and spun around as they came at him, slicing Stiles' neck in one quick motion and sending his body to the floor with a sick thump. 

I screamed and went to his body, ripping the veins on my arm open and crying hysterically as I put my blood to his mouth. It touched his lips as his eyes fluttered and his heart slowed. Blood poured from his wound, and when my blood touched his mouth, it started to stop. I felt relief wash over me that i had saved him in the nick of time. I cradled him in my arms while he healed and when he came to a few second later I kissed him long and deep. Then got up and spun to Silas. 

But he was gone. Stefan and Elena were still in the same spot and Isaac and Caroline were recovering from the fight. Isaac helping Caroline from the ground. 

The bucket of blood was gone too. We had failed.


	17. Anti-Hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so, Im thinking maybe of either sending them to New Orleans and incorporating some The Originals stuff in, OR introducing a new character, possibly both but either way, theres at least one witch coming soon. Sorry for the 0% Bonnie guys, I just personally cant stand her character. Hope you're enjoying...

Stefan had gotten up after falling out from the loss of blood. He was already weaker than he should be because he cant drink human blood, I was worried about him. He seemed off color and swayed on his feet when he got up, leaning heavily on Elena and putting a hand to his head. 

"Isaac," I said standing up from the floor where Stiles and I were seated, "Can you hunt?" 

Isaac smiled, "I'm a wolf. What do you think?" his eyes glowing yellow. 

"Will you find something for Stefan to eat before we leave? An animal of some sorts…?" Isaac nodded to me and left quickly, speeding out the door and into the wood beyond. 

Stiles attempted to get up and I put out my hand, "Stay there, you're weak, my blood healed you, but you need real food." there was blood all over the front of him, from the collar of his shirt down to his shoes. 

"What do we do now? What happens if he gets back to Beacon Hills and uses the blood? If the six of us cant stop him now, how are we going to stop him if he's charged full of power?" Caroline was worried, you could tell in her voice. 

"I don't know Caroline." I responded, pacing back and forth in the house. I could feel their eyes on me as I walked, I could hear my lone footsteps echo off the wooden floors and wooden walls. I wanted to rip out my hair and dig out my eyes, nothing was going right, and I had a feeling it was my fault. "I cant do this." I said finally. 

"What do you mean you cant do this?" Stefan said, speaking for the first time since he had warned us of the trap. 

"I cant lead- I - Ive been doing this all summer, and on. Since this Silas stuff happened, everyone looks to me to lead. Well I cant. Look where my leading gets us, Stefan. Nowhere, matter of fact, worse than nowhere, Stiles almost died today, for the second time. You could've been lost or locked in a safe again. Hell, I even almost killed myself just last week." I was getting a headache, I took my bun out and let my black hair fall around my face. "Im not like you Stefan. Im no leader. Im no hero. I didn't ask for any of this. By all rights I shouldn't even be here." I was cracking. I felt my steady calm demeanor breaking beneath me, and I realized all at once right then that I was wrong. I wasn't like Stefan, like I had thought all along, the only thing I really shared in common with him was his empathy, I wasn't the hero he had always been. I was more destructive, crazy, led by emotion and passion and anger and good intentions but ALWAYS ended badly. He wasn't the Uncle I identified with as I had thought all these years, it was the one everyone always said I looked like, it was the one I had always liked the least, it was Damon. 

Stiles got up from his spot slowly, wincing. He put out a hand and stopped my pacing, then brushed a chunk of hair away from my face and behind my ear. "You're right, You aren't ready to lead. You shouldn't be here," he turned to the rest of the group now, looking at all of us in turn, "Hell, we all shouldn't be here. But we are. And if not you to lead than who? How is Stefan more fit for the job then yourself? Haven't we all failed and failed and failed again? Last year 12 people died before we could save anyone," he turned to Elena, "Elena, you said yourself, people die in Mystic Falls all the time, people who were your family, friends. It happens. Shit Happens." He said turning to me now,  
"I read something somewhere once about someone who felt the same way as you, that they didn't belong in the midst of evil, evil much like Silas, and he thought he couldn't do it either, and you know what his friend said to him?" 

I shook my head no. 

"He said:  
'It's like in the great stories. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.'

Do you know what they were holding onto Grace?"

"N-No." I said, and I saw Isaac appear in the doorway, staring at Stiles, I looked at Elena and Stefan, they were watching Stiles too, Caroline was on the verge of tears at Stiles' speech. 

"That there's some good in this world…and its worth fighting for." 

I nodded then, and Isaac clapped a hand on Stiles' back, before walking to stefan and handing him two rabbits he had caught in the wood. 

"Oh Stiles that was beautiful." Caroline said, a tear rolling down her cheek, "What was that from?" 

Stiles blushed a bit as Stefan said with a laugh, "I believe he was quoting Lord of The Rings right there." 

For one awkward unusual moment, we all started laughing. And in that stress free second, it came to me. "I know what Silas' next step is." I said, and everyone looked at me, "He needs a witch."


	18. Bye for now

"Lets just get out of here and get our heads back on. I hate this place, gives me the creeps." Elena said. 

"Alright, lets go to the home and figure out our next step." I said and Stiles started to get up next to me, slowly getting to his feet and leaning on the wall as he did. I slipped my arm under him, "Lean on me." 

"I don't want to crush you or…" He said, putting an arm around my shoulders. 

"I could lift you up and carry you out of here over my head if I wanted to Stiles." I said laughing.

"I already feel like a damsel in distress dating a vampire, please, spare me a sliver of dignity." He said as we followed Caroline and Isaac out of the door. 

"Dating huh?" Caroline said glancing back at us. 

"I think that requires actually going on a date." Isaac said, rolling his eyes as we got into the Jeep. Stiles turned over the ignition as everyone piled up inside, Elena and Stefan lap sitting and Isaac and Caroline squished next to them. 

"Don't mind him," Stiles said, pulling out onto the dirt road coming from the house and going back the way we came, "he hates me." 

"I dont hate you…" Isaac said, looking out the window and putting a hand through his curly blonde-brown hair, "..all the time." he added, as an afterthought.

"Isaac, Did you by chance get a smell off of Silas when you came in? Or do you need an object of his to use?" I asked turning around to look at him.

"I got his scent." Isaac said, "The only problem is, its the same as his." he nodded towards Stefan. 

"So… What does that mean, you cant track him?" Caroline asked.

"Im not sure, maybe if Stefan wasn't with me and I knew where he was, I could differentiate the two scents by direction. But its a stretch." he replied skeptically. 

We got to the Salvatore home and parked the car before walking inside and taking a seat, I went to the kitchen and took out the small amount of food we had, bread and peanut butter, and brought it back into the living room, putting it on the table in the middle of the couches where everyone was gathered. "Eat." I said to Stiles and Isaac. I didn't sit down, I felt like we were wasting time every second we weren't behind Silas. It was unnerving, I paced the room anxiously as they ate, Elena tossed me and Caroline a blood bag I popped mine open and sucked it down almost instantly. 

"Breathe Grace," Stefan said, putting a light hand on my shoulder.

"Im trying Uncle Stef, but I feel like every second we sit here Silas is farther and farther away." 

"And your probably not wrong. But you're forgetting, we're faster than him. Take a breath, relax." He looked at me in the eyes and held onto my shoulders as he lowered me into the love seat in the corner of the room. 

"What are you thinking is the next step?" Caroline asked when she had finished her own bag, a bit of color going back in her cheeks as she spoke. 

"I think our best bet is to try and go with Isaac's sense of smell. But we will have to split up. Since Stefan cant travel with us, I figure while we trail Silas, Stef, Stiles and Elena can go to Beacon Hills and prepare everyone for the worst, and hopefully, find a way we can get Silas back to his neutral state. Theres two hunters there with that goal ingrained into their DNA, it shouldn't be that hard. Meanwhile, Isaac, Caroline and I will trail Silas." I said, looking at everyone in turn. 

"No way. No. Im not gonna just leave after everything-"

"You've been through? yes. Yes you are going to leave. and we will meet you in California, Stiles don't make this harder than it has to be." I pleaded, noting that everyone was watching us argue out of the corner of my eye.

"Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" he said nodding his head to the side to note we should move into the other room. 

I walked away from everyone and into my room, Stiles following me from behind. When I turned around he shut the door behind us. 

"Grace, I don't want to separate from you right now. Its too risky. I can stand my own with you. I can be careful." he said shaking his head.

"Stiles, you will be fine with my uncle and Elena, trust me, I wouldn't let you travel alone. And I don't think Isaac would leave you without good reason. This isn't just about us, its about everyone, my family, my friends, your pack." 

"I'm afraid I will never see you again, and I don't want that, just let me come with you…" I put my hand to his face and smiled endearingly. 

"No. Its already way too dangerous for you to be involved this much Stiles, I cant do it. I wont allow it. You will return to Beacon Hills, and we will see each other again. I promise. Im not as easy to kill as you think. Just trust me." He looked away from me, biting his lip in frustration and taking a deep breath 

"Maybe Im not as vulnerable as you think I am either." he sneered. 

"Stiles-we just need to get Silas down and we will have all the time in the world." 

"Look, I get it, Im always the burden. The normal guy, the human equivalent of a ball and chain." he raised his arms, "I don't know what Ive been thinking messing around with you Grace. I will always live in everyones shadow because of my humanity. I should've taken the bite a long time ago. But its too late now, Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I shouldnt have come here. I thought you thought of me different." 

"Stiles please your not a burden, just hear me out…" but I couldn't even think of anything to say, he was human, and being with me was a danger to him. Especially because he was so vulnerable. 

"Bye, Grace." he said turning away and leaving the room. I turned around as I felt the realness of our separation. It hurt to be spurned by him, Stiles was ever loving and though I had known him for only a short while, I felt an intense bond with him like I hadn't felt for a long time. And I didn't even expect to feel as bad as I did when he left. My heart somewhat breaking in his absence, and it was worse because of my intense vampire senses. I took a deep shaky breath and tears streamed down my face as I tried to keep my composure. Breathe in. Breathe out. Relax. Theres far more pressing matters. I didn't have time to mourn the end of our short love affair. I didn't have time to miss him. But it wasn't an emotion easily dismissed. 

"Grace, we should get going soon." Stefan appeared at my doorway. I couldn't look at him, I knew instantly it would be worse the moment I did. 

"Just give me a sec…" 

I felt his arms wrap around me from behind, and he kissed me softly on the head as he held me for a moment. "He'll be back." He said when he let go. 

"Thank you Stefan. I will be ready to leave soon."I said and he left me for a moment to my emotions while I packed a small bag and swung it over my shoulder and left my room. When I got back into the living room Stefan, Elena, and Stiles had gone.


End file.
